Goodhope Dlangamandla |  goodhope@radioislam.co.za
January 24, 2023, | 13:15 PM CAT
2 min read 

Photo Credit: Gift of the Givers

Soaring temperatures in most parts of South Africa have persisted over the last few days with disastrous effects on the aged and young and those working outdoors.

It ended tragically for farmworkers in Kakamas, Northern Cape, where seven perished from heat stroke and two more required hospitalisation.

The province is experiencing high temperatures, and due to load shedding, water pumps are out of action during the bouts of power cuts, thus making it almost impossible to pump water from reservoirs to homes, etc.

After learning of the tragedy, Gift of the Givers provided JoJo tanks and bottled water to the community.

In an interview with Radio Islam International, Emily Thomas from Gift of the Givers remarked that their biggest concern following the event is the water supply to the community.

She claimed that although Kakamas has enough water, the issue is that there aren’t enough water tankers to transport the water to all the JoJo tanks.

“Please note that there is water, but it is not given to the people.”

According to Thomas, efforts are being made to identify abandoned boreholes in the region that can be fixed to offer the locals long-term respite.

She claimed that according to weather forecasts, the region would likely experience another two weeks of high heat.

Thomas also disclosed that the two women in the hospital on ventilators are doing fine.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.