Scores of agents trading at the Joburg Market have donated more than 32 tons of fresh produce to the City of Johannesburg’s Food Bank after being inspired to help relief efforts in poverty-stricken communities.
The donation was accepted by the MMC of Economic Development, Councillor Lloyd Philips, and the Chairperson of the Joburg Market Board, Simon Clarke, on Friday, 24 April 2020.
The donation comes on the heels of Executive Mayor Cllr Geoff Makhubo's appeal for commercial enterprises to assist the City administer greater food relief during the extended national lockdown.
Market agents act on behalf of farmers on the trading floor and represent the Institute of Market Agents of South Africa (IMASA), the largest source of food donations to the City’s produce distribution depot.
“The farmers and agents that serve the Joburg Market are proud to have contributed to efforts to fight hunger in the City of Johannesburg. We felt inspired to assist people who are suffering and in need of food, and to play a part in ensuring food security in Gauteng,” said Nico Muller, IMASA Chairperson.
The Joburg Market Food Bank collects, sorts and reviews food for quality before allocating it to non-profit community agencies, including orphanages, poverty-stricken crèches, soup kitchens/homeless shelters, schools, old age homes, disability centres and indigent families who are unable to cover funeral costs.
It collects weekly donations of fresh produce from market agents and retrieves foodstuffs marked by security as unclaimed and unaccounted-for on the market floor. It also uses its allocated budget to buy fresh produce for NGOs and indigent households, meeting other donors halfway.
The bank receives a substantial proportion of its donations from agents who usually have excess produce they cannot sell in the normal course of business.
MMC Philips said the City had various levels of deprivation and was thankful for food donations from IMASA. “The contribution to the City’s Food Bank is significant in that it will help us fight persistent hunger. The City’s food relief efforts are aimed at the most deprived residents, about 16 000 to 19 000 households,” he said.
MMC Philips urged residents of Johannesburg to keep safe and prevent the spread of Covid-19 and urged them to follow the World Health Organisation’s precautions:
• Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep their hands clean
• Maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing
• Not to touch their eyes, nose or mouth
• Cover their nose and mouth with a bent elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing
• Stay home if they feel unwell
• Those with a fever, a cough, and difficulty breathing, to seek medical attention by calling health authorities in advance
• Follow the directions of their local health authority and
• Avoid unnecessary visits to medical facilities.
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