AS IF WE DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT!

On top of the threat of our elders succumbing to Covid-19, alarming reports are surfacing about non-payment of subsidies by the Department of Social Development.

Dozens of old ages homes, orphanages and women's shelters in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo have not received any payments for the past four months.

Others have had their subsidies cut, without any warning or notification. Staff, who themselves have not been paid, are using their own savings to buy food for those in their care.

Tafta is among those organisations whose subsidies have been cut. And it is disastrous!

Because we're already facing a funding crisis – since there has been no support from the Department towards the additional costs of protecting our elders, homes and staff from Covid-19. In homes where there have been outbreaks of the disease, we've had to find hundreds of thousands of rands to pay for cleaning, sanitizing, laundry, PPE, screening and testing.

It's placed a huge burden on us – and other organisations like us.

In fact, the entire future of social welfare services in South Africa is at stake. We could even see a repeat of the Life Esidimeni tragedy, where 144 mental health care patients lost their lives.

NGOs like Tafta are contracted by the government to provide welfare services to those in need. If funding dries up, what happens to vulnerable elders in our care? We can't turn them out onto the street!

We are relying on the compassion and amazing generosity of the good people of Durban to get us over this crisis.

Please will you make a contribution now to safeguard the future of elderly men and women in our care? Your gift will make all the difference in this time of great need and uncertainty.