Relief continues to pour in for victims of the fire that devastated the Vygieskraal informal settlement.
The fire killed a man and a 3-year-old boy and displaced more than 800 people on Monday October 21.
On Sunday November 10, food hampers were distributed to 250 people who lost their homes in the fire, through the annual Diwali fund-raising campaign.
On the day of Diwali, Sunday October 27, the Cape Town Hindu Seva Samaj raised R21 500 for the hampers, which include cooking oil, maize meal, baked beans, rice, biscuits, and other basic food items.
Treasurer Naresh Kooverjee said the food drive started more than 20 years ago when they realised how many people in the community needed help.
The drive was all about helping those less fortunate and uniting people to donate to a worthy cause.
Previous beneficiaries were the Kensington Home for the Aged, Bokmakierie Primary School and the Saartjie Baartman Centre.
This year it was the turn of the Lutheran Church, which runs after-care for the children of the informal settlement.
Donations for the hampers are collected before and during Diwali every year.
“Throughout the year, we collect items which we know are in need, such as food and blankets, and distribute them accordingly. This is our special time of the year and it’s all about giving back,” Mr Kooverjee said.
One of the fire victims, Tougeedah Solomans, said they had started rebuilding their shacks and their lives.
“The hampers really helped us because we need anything that people can give us. There’s a lot of people that still need food,” she said.