Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu at a media briefing on 24 March 2020 by Ministers in the Social Cluster following the announcement of a national lockdown to contain COVID-19 in South Africa. Picture: @GovernmentZA/Twitter.

Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu said over 58,000 households have started receiving food parcels through a knock and drop method.

On Wednesday, Zulu said the national department had allocated R20 million and the Solidarity Fund had allocated around R23 million towards these food parcel schemes.

According to the minister, the eligibility criteria has been established for the food scheme. All beneficiaries, all centres catering for the needy and vulnerable are a priority for the Department of Social Development.

Applications for the Special COVID-19 Social Relief Grant may be lodged by sending a WhatsApp message to 0600 123 456 and selecting SASSA or by sending an email to SRD@sassa.gov.za

While the country is on a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty and hunger have been rearing its ugly head and Zulu said they have been witnessing this first hand.

“We have been at the forefront of addressing requests to rescue our people from this as well as to provide them with nutritional relief,” she said.

The beneficiaries include current recipients of CNDCs; those in closed centre feeding programmes, home community-based care and lunch on clubs qualifying for the CNDCs emergency food parcels, in addition to families that need food assistance which is not supported through the Social Relief of Distress Fund (SRD) and other programmes.

The department also announced 163 homeless shelters for accommodating over 14 000 displaced people countrywide with the number fluctuating as some run away, with some coming back and some not.

Zulu said they have also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), dignity packs, food, sanitisers, sleeping mattresses and blankets and substance abuse and psycho-social support services.

They have also started providing soft skills development at homeless shelters and where possible have tried reuniting them with their families.  

She said about 10 000 people have received psychosocial services in relation to COVID-19 to date.

Meanwhile Minister of Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu said a donor has come forward who can build housing units in two hours. These will be built for those evicted from farms. The Minister has invited the President Cyril Ramaphosa to view those units that have already been built this weekend.

She also called on the communities and municipalities that are still struggling with water to make use of the call centre number 0800 200 200. This is the only way that they can be made aware of what the communities need.

Sisulu said they have delivered close to 17 000 water storage tanks across the country, and over 1 200 water tankers. It is important to understand that these numbers change on a daily basis as delivery continues.

Watch Live: The Briefing on Social Economic Relief.

Courtesy of SABC.