Month: Apr 2020

Venetia Mine and the Departments of Health and Social Development have rallied around efforts to provide support and relief to communities within the mine’s labour-sending areas of Musina and Blouberg.

The mine has donated basic necessities such as maize meal, rice, oatmeal, tea, milk, canned foods and hygiene products including sanitisers, to assure those who are in hardship will have access to sufficient food during the nationwide lockdown.

In Blouberg, the donation is set to benefit approximately 200 non-COVID19 patients who are currently hospitalised at the Helena Franz Hospital in Senwabarwana. The hospital’s CEO, Hlamarisa Simango said: “Thank you for your rapid response and much appreciation for participating in the response team that is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The support, in the form of food parcels, has increased our capacity as a hospital to effectively deal with any difficulty that may arise should the healthcare services demand get higher and will also assist where we previously had difficulties. Thank you again for the efforts and your positive attitude in playing a role in assisting our people in Blouberg.”

In Musina, the donation was well received at the Musina Showgrounds Shelter, which was opened as an additional facility to accommodate an intake of about 150 displaced and vulnerable persons during the nationwide lockdown. Spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, Witness Tiva, said: “As a department, we appreciate the contribution which has been made by Venetia Mine. The food donated by the mine will help in augmenting our provision of food to hundreds of homeless people throughout the shelters we have established, who were loitering the streets of Musina. We value the partnership between the mine and the department, and are looking forward to working with the mine on other future Welfare Programmes post the Coronavirus lockdown period.”

Other donations made by Venetia Mine include a much-needed boost of sanitisers, surgical face masks and food parcels to the Musina Hospital and Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital to combat the shortage during the lockdown period.

Commenting on the importance of contributing to our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Performance Specialist, Bonani Nyabane, said: “The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected us in more ways than we can imagine. It is important that we, as stakeholders, come together and help provide the necessary support where needed. As De Beers Group, we are proud to be working with these institutions that are providing continuous support to vulnerable members of our society during this challenging time”.