Pandemic in South Africa – The brewer now runs a soup kitchen for almost ten weeks, one of the toughest lock downs in the world in South Africa. The economic consequences are immense. Some entrepreneurs cook for the needy.Bernd Dörries, Kapstadt0 comment make a lot of solidarity in South Africa: there are Always queues in front of food expenditure.Photo: Themba Hadebe (Keystone)
Earlier André Viljoen has in large boilers, a Pilsner brewed, which he sold under the name of Happy Pills, and a sweet that came in strong beer with the name Sugarman, on at least 10 percent alcohol content. If Viljoen expects today’s high is the percentage to explain, then, how high is the share which the vegetable is cooked well in his cauldron: 10% onion, 30 percent pumpkin, and 60 percent of the potato, says Viljoen, with a long ladle a drink from the Tank, pours it into a beer glass and drinking from it. Earlier Viljoen owner was one of the best Breweries in Cape town, today he is unemployed brewer and runs a soup kitchen. He doesn’t seem unhappy, the vegetable broth taste good and is quite nutritious.
For nearly ten weeks, one of the toughest lock downs in the world, although it has led to is in South Africa, the Infection rates of about 240’00 people number of 57 million is still quite low, in the case of a inhabitants. The economic consequences are immense, with millions mainly in the informal sector have lost their jobs, gardeners, domestic workers and day laborers have nothing to do and nothing to provide for their families.
Volunteers cutting vegetables
“When the Winter comes, people starve, and the infections and the panic to rise, then we have a serious Problem. We want to give a little hope,” says Viljoen. The hope for him and the 60 employees of his Woodstock Brewery, which currently have a Job, because the government has banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol. Therefore, Viljoen, together with other small is a collective of Breweries founded in the cooking every day many Thousands of litres of soup and then to the needy throughout the city to distribute them.
Up to 14’000 servings you want to deliver per day, the ingredients are donated by businesses, or by donations bought. Where the Restaurant was, are, today, dozens of Volunteers, and cut huge amounts of vegetables. “In the case of the people standing here, together,” says Viljoen. Elsewhere, the inhabitants gather in Cape town for food donations and cooking for the needy. It is a piece of solidarity in a country that is one of the most unequal in the world is to live in the million still in close Townships, while the middle class and the Rich in the beautiful quarters of life, with views of table mountain or the sea. The Corona-crisis hits all, but not all.
the head of state, Cyril Ramaphosa holds the television talks full of empathy and power of Persuasion.
The brewers, and many other individuals and companies, a jump there, where the South African state can’t help, or wants to. The past decade has been for many South Africans, a lost, by 2018, ruled by the deeply corrupt President Jacob Zuma, the former liberation movement ANC the country to loot. Successor Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the fight against corruption and is now in the Corona pandemic, many South Africans behind United. He keeps the television talks full of empathy and power of Persuasion, and has a Minister of health at his side, the power from the point of view of many a very good Job. The government announced a billion-dollar aid package and increased the social assistance, but only about 20 francs a month for each needy.
ANC politicians steal food
And even this help is not always, at the local level, corruption and mismanagement governance is often. Again and again, kilometers, forming long queues in front of food expenditure. Private aid organizations made life difficult, you need to seek for food deliveries in many provinces 48 hours in advance for a permit and an endless bureaucratic process to go through, again and again, local media reports that donated food arrive, or ANC politicians from being stolen. Also, therefore, will be distributed in Cape town like soup, which can be bad to steal.
“The government is doing nothing for us,” says Gogo, who just wants to be named after the short form for grandmother, because you know so finally the whole neighborhood. Gogo is in his mid-fifties, and stands in the driveway of their house in Guguletu, a Township of about 100’000 inhabitants in the North of Cape town. A road with a school, a library and an outdoor swimming pool, the houses all have Garage and paved forecourt. Earlier, Gogo had operated in the Garage, even a small Restaurant, mainly fish dishes, until it was physically exhausting and a hairdresser moved in. Now there is Gogo’s Kitchen as a soup kitchen for the needy, the have to eat by Corona, nothing more. Gogo gets 1000 liters of soup of the Breweries, you cook what is your donated, much of it comes from private people, from Sea Point, a rather wealthy city quarter by the sea. On this day, there is a stew of fish and spinach. On the street in front of the house, the snakes are already on the Sidewalk, children come first. All wear a mask, all the hands to be disinfected before you put the food in the reception. For all problems, says Gogo, give it in so unequal city of Cape town is also a lot of solidarity.
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