GEORGE NEWS - Two local community service organisations have aired concerns about a delay of six months by George Municipality to distribute money from the building disaster humanitarian fund to survivors and their families who are in dire need.
The fund, worth R173 000, was started by George Municipality in the days following the implosion of the Neo Victoria building on 6 May.
Members of the public donated towards the fund. Rotarian Donald Goldfain expressed their concern and outrage about the holdup. "It seems that the money is still languishing in the municipal coffers somewhere.
"Rotary and other community-oriented volunteers are assisting the victims to deal with the unbelievable bureaucratic nightmare that these traumatised people have to deal with between the Department of Social Development and the Department of Labour, in addition to the tragedy they are living with."
Goldfain said Rotary and Round Table George have raised and spent more than R236 000 to provide food, shelter, airtime and assistance to victims in financial distress.
"Without our funds, these people would be destitute. We as well as various other volunteers have been pleading for the municipal fund to be spent on the survivors, as the George donating public and businesses intended, but no help has been forthcoming and our queries to the municipality are not being answered. The fund must also have earned interest."
Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe, senior communications officer at George Municipality, confirmed that a process is underway to distribute the funds.
"The municipality has appointed the non-profit organisation Famsa as its agent to ensure transparent and fair distribution.
"Famsa is in the process of contacting each victim individually in this regard. This is to ensure that adequate controls are in place to prevent fraudulent representations and ensure that the handover takes place with the correct person.
"As previously informed, the municipality has established a committee to instruct Famsa and to monitor progress. Thus far 16 victims have been assisted and the municipality hopes to conclude the process in the coming days."
George Herald has in the meantime also received information from a trusted source that the municipality has decided to share the R173 000 among the 62 survivors as a one-time R2 500 voucher from Shoprite Checkers each. Our informant pointed out that R173 000 subdivided by 62 equals
R2 790 and the question is what the remainder of the funds was used for.
George Municipality's comment in this regard is being awaited.
Rotary president Di Kershaw said that, thanks to Rotary's intervention, a survivor who lost his leg, Ivaldo Macamo, now has a prosthesis and can walk again. "What would have happened to him if we had not been there?
"The most unfortunate of the survivors, Shadrack, had his left arm and leg amputated through the disaster. He too is getting two prostheses through us and the Department of Labour."
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
