To fight against Covid-19, a volunteer organisation has sanitised the homes of some of the elderly in Kagiso.
Thirty houses belonging to elderly residents were sanitised by a local NGO in Kagiso, Krugersdorp on Monday, April 6. Volunteers from the Church of Scientology also sanitised shelters and other public spaces as part of their efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 among the community.
The project, launched on Saturday, March 14, in collaboration with the Mogale City municipality but was only able to reach a few homes due to limited resources . Kagiso ward councillor, Velile Khumalo, said the selection of the houses was solely based on the ages of the people who lived in them and their vulnerability to Covid-19.
“We have picked up a few elderly people because we felt that Coronavirus is something that attacks them mostly, so it’s important we identify those who can be easily exposed to it,” said Khumalo.
Gogo Jennifer Khalishwayo, 61, whose house was one of those sanitised, told Wits Vuvuzela that she was surprised to find people coming into her home without her consent. “I understand the need to curb the spread of the virus, but there are many stories going around and I would have appreciated it if I was informed,” Khalishwayo said. The retiree said she was wary of the sanitising team after receiving messages warning of ‘fake’ doctors who go door to door testing, screening and sanitizing people’s
The fogging machine used to sanitize the houses. Photo: Zikhona Klaas
houses in the local ward Whatsapp group.
Thembi Ndlovu, 46, an unemployed mother of five children said, “I thought the program was going to accommodate all of us [community members] because I can’t afford a large sanitiser for my house, I only use the recommended soap for my hands to stay clean.”
Ndlovu said she would have appreciated if the project was supported by big companies so that all people can be accommodated despite their age bracket.
Egor Borisiuk, the team leader, said that the project had been approved by the department of social development to work with local municipalities. He explained that the sanitising team does not screen nor test people for Covid-19 but sanitises spaces with environmentally friendly chemicals.
“We use a contamination fogging system that contains a natural cleaning sanitizer,” Borisiuk said. He explained that after the chemical was applied, people are asked to wait at least fifteen minutes before going back inside their houses.
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers is a disaster response organisation based in Midrand, that has launched the Viral Disaster Response program to address the spread of Coronavirus.
FEATURED IMAGE: Scientology volunteers with local community members in Kagiso. Photo: Zikhona Klaas.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Wits Vuvuzela, Coronavirus: Measures in place for health science students. March 16, 2020.
- Krugersdorp News, Mogale Response Services sanitizing the city one building at a time, 6 April 2020.
