CITY OF CAPE TOWN
20 MARCH 2020
20 MARCH 2020
MEDIA RELEASE
The drive is one of the latest measures implemented to help mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19. Read more below:
The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre is facilitating a soap donation drive, in support of hygiene efforts around the Coronavirus.
The DRMC is calling on individuals, organizations, and businesses who are able to assist, to drop off soap bars at their nearest Shoprite or Checkers store in Cape Town.
Donations will then be distributed in the City’s informal settlements, care facilities and other organizations caring for vulnerable groups around the metropole.
The DRMC will activate its volunteer corps to assist with the distribution of soap as well as education and awareness material like pamphlets, posters, loudhailer announcements, etc.
‘Good hygiene practices are key to preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, the availability of a basic commodity like soap is not a given for many of our residents. The City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, therefore, decided to get a soap donation drive underway so that we can help the most vulnerable in our city to be more resilient in dealing with the outbreak.
‘The City calls on anyone who is able to make a donation, no matter how small, so that we can distribute soap too as many people as possible. We have already started work on a distribution plan, using a range of City resources, but also community partners, to expedite the distribution process,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The logistics around the donation drive are being finalized, and all Shoprite and Checkers stores have been briefed to make drop-off trolleys available in store.
‘We are very happy to host drop-off points for this initiative in our stores. Only if we work together, can we limit the impact of this virus on the communities we serve,’ said Lunga Schoeman, CSI Manager for the Shoprite Group.
End
Note to broadcasters: audio clips are available for download
Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town