Western Cape government officials distributed the first batch of load shedding relief packs on Tuesday.
The packs were given to two provincial Department of Social Development-funded facilities for survivors of gender-based violence – United Sanctuary Against Abuse and Holy Cross St Clare Sanctuary.
Premier Alan Winde and Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez distributed the first batch, and the premier said that it was essential that they as the provincial government support and protect the most vulnerable residents from the worst impacts of load shedding.
“Middle- and upper-income residents are able to put some steps in place to ameliorate the impact of load shedding, but our most vulnerable citizens do not have these resources.
“These packs are a small but important intervention to support our most vulnerable with some lighting and charging resources,” said Winde at the handover.
These DSD facilities provide support services to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors and their children, such as therapeutic intervention, counselling, skills development, and reintegration services.
The kits comprise solar home lighting systems with the following features:
- Dual charging capability via solar panel or AC cable
- Three lighting options
- Rechargeable 6V, 4ah battery
- Up to 18 hours of light on a single charge
- Battery protection
- Wall-hanging mounts
- Emergency USB port charges
A key component of the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme is load shedding relief aimed at mitigating the impact of ongoing power cuts on residents, the private sector, and local government services.
Winde, while distributing load shedding relief kits at the local provincial Department of Social Development offices in Atlantis, said that it is the vulnerable that are suffering the most.
“While the power crisis has devastated the economy, causing widespread damage to small businesses and large companies alike, it is the most vulnerable in society that are suffering the most and do not have the resources available to buffer themselves from the worst impacts of load shedding.
“One of our top priorities is protecting vulnerable residents in any way we can. We as the Western Cape Government (WCG) have committed to taking tangible steps to tackle this calamity, more importantly, to offer some form of relief to vulnerable groups,” said Winde.
Fernandez added: “The number of GBV victims accessing psychosocial support services provided and funded by DSD has increased from 51790 in 2020/21 to 76178 in 2022/23. There are many individuals for whom shelters are a beacon of hope.
“Load shedding threatens to extinguish that light, literally and figuratively when it plunges these facilities into darkness. With these load-shedding relief packs, we are offering a small respite for the staff and clients, which I hope will ensure a more effective running of operations when the power goes off,” said Fernandez.
The staff working at these facilities expressed their gratitude, saying that the kits would be a welcome addition to all working and living there.
Felicia Fillies, social worker and acting manager at United Sanctuary Against Abuse, said: “We work with survivors of GBV and their children. During power cuts we don’t have any back-ups for light or electricity, so when the lights go off you immediately feel a sense of feeling threatened.
“Residents even fear that the perpetrators may locate them and enter the shelter because the electricity for the fencing goes off. These kits will thus help the staff that are on duty to be able to see if there are any threats, so they can call police should there be one,” said Fillies.
More load shedding relief packs will be distributed in due course to other vulnerable groups of citizens.