South African cricketer Faf Du Plessis and his wife Imari have rallied followers on social media site Instagram to make donations and help a non-profit organisation based in Lavender Hill feed thousands of people in the impoverished Cape Town area.

As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the Western Cape, which is now the epicentre of the pandemic in South Africa with 3,760 out of 7,808 confirmed cases nationally as of May 6, the province’s poorest communities have been hardest hit, with many areas in dire need of aid and hungry people queuing daily for meals.

A video posted by an African News Agency journalist hightlighted the plight of many in Lavender Hill, where aid activist Lucinda Evans, who calls herself a human rights defender, heads non-profit organisation Philisa Abafazi Bethu which cooks food for 1,500 people everyday.

Some 3,000 people turn up for meals every day, but Evans and her team are only able to feed half of them.

Evans works across six distribution points daily, the most popular being a field in the heart of Lavender Hill.

At the end of the video posted by the ANA journalist, Evans pleads for help.

The video caught the eye of Imari Du Plessis, spurring her and her cricketer husband to launch a fund-raising drive on Instagram to raise funds for Philisa Abafazi Bethu.

Imari said the couple felt a calling to help by doing more than just make a donation.

“As a mom I carried this message around heavily in my heart,” she posted on the social media site. “Faf and I raised funds on Instagram over and beyond what we could imagine. For every generous donor who helped feed our 172 people, I would like to let you know that we were able to do that.”

The couple managed to raise R17,200 with 24 hours to feed families, she said.

“We could also reach the goal of stocking the pantry of Philisa Abafazi with three quarters of the ingredients required to provide warm meals to 1,500 people for two weeks,” Du Plessis added.

She and her husband singled out fast food group KFC South Africa, Hope Worldwide South Africa and retailer Makro for their help in sourcing donations.

In an interview on Cape Town radio station Heart 104.9, Lucinda Evans said she was grateful for the donation from the Du Plessis couple.

“Last week I was so down, I didn’t have a good week, then I received an email from Mrs Du Plessis,” she said, adding that she also took courage and strength from others also working to help disadvantaged communities, such as those who had offered their double garage to use as an additional feeding site.

She said the additional space, together with the donation from the Du Plessis, would make it possible to feed 4,000 people.

Evans said her mission was to flatten the curve of hunger.

“It’s challenging for some people to stand in a line for food, sometimes you just need to drop a parcel at the door,” said Evans.

In an Instagram video Evans shared her gratitude to the Du Plessis.

“You and your family opened up your hearts to Lavender Hill. You know, we are in a community where people don’t see the lavender in the hills, and I am blown away that you have sent lavender for the hills to the children, senior citizens and disabled families,” she said.

“You made me cry, thank you for the happy tears, your donation will help to carry us a little further, we hope to meet you one day.”

Source: ANA