Johannesburg - The Joburg metro police department is to continue assisting drought-stricken towns in North West and the Free State with water this week.
On Friday, more than 30 JMPD officers and other volunteers were at a warehouse in Fordsburg to help offload thousands of bottles of water destined for the Free State town of Senekal and surrounding areas. At the weekend, the JMPD provided escorts for the trucks as they headed for the town.
Operation Hydrate, as the programme is called, has since evolved into a nationwide campaign. A more aggressive drive is now under way, with volunteers working day and night to collect, package and take the water to various central points.
Since Wednesday, top JMPD officials Dan Machete, Wayne Minnaar and Edna Mamonyane joined their colleagues as they offloaded bottles of water from a truck that had just arrived. In a human chain, the officers passed down the bottles of water.
Volunteers inside the giant tent neatly placed the bottles while those on the other side packed them onto pallets. Several pallets had already been shrink-wrapped, ready to be loaded onto trucks.
“We’re here to help. This is a desperate situation. It’s our social responsibility to help. We’ll have teams of JMPD officers coming through to volunteer here for as long as there is a need for help,” said Machete.
Yaseen Theba, one of Operation Hydrate’s co-ordinators, said the response had been overwhelming.
“We have stopped receiving water at collection points around Gauteng. We are now bringing the water to central points like this one so we can package it in preparation for delivery. Corporate South Africa has come to the party in a big way,” he said.
Shoprite, Virgin Active, Thirsti Water and other companies have offered money, water, transport and logistics.
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The Star