Non-profit organisation, the Malvern Child and Youth Centre is appealing to the public for donations in order to pay their electricity bill which is currently outstanding an amount of R338 838.11.
The appeal for help comes after the centre was recently notified that they could be on the brink of closure since they can not afford to settle the bill. Director of the centre, Andile Ncamana said that when he took over the centre in 2018, there was already a debt of R617 000 owing to the municipality. “I then took to social media and asked for donations of R50 from people, which did come as we managed to make a payment arrangement with the municipality. The amount was R708 000 which we were still paying until we were in arrears again this past year. We managed to reduce the amount over a period of two years and was sitting on R177 000 when we got into arrears again. This past January I had to go and cancel the old arrangement in order to make a new one for the current arrears which are R338 838.11,” he said. Ncamana added that while he had made the payment arrangement, the centre was still unable to keep afloat. “I made the arrangement and could not pay the electricity for the past two months of which we are in arrears again. The municipality was here on Monday, 28 March, with a disconnection order which we have 14 days to sort it out or the lights will be cut. The reason we as a centre cannot pay the monthly bill consistently is due to the fact that our subsidy that we get from the Department of Social Development is very minimal and 80% of it goes to salaries of the people who take care of the children on a daily basis. Then the rest goes to operational costs such as petrol, food, maintenance, school uniforms and stationery, “ he said.
Ncamana said that they are often able to pay a small amount to the municipality when they get their Vat returns every two months. He said that, in a nutshell, that is how the bill has accumulated over the years because they do not have cash flow. The centre currently has 80 children in their care who are in need of care and protection as they are at risk due to abandonment and abuse. The youngest child at the centre is three-years-old and the oldest is 20-years-old. The centre ensures that the children are cared for holistically, school attendance is crucial with their programme aimed at ensuring that the child’s emotional and developmental needs are adhered to. “A lot of the community members donate in kind which we appreciate but how will we cook the food donated if we do not have electricity, how will the children go to school if they have not taken a bath? We are in need of some serious assistance before our children lose a place, they call home,” he said. Ncamana said that the Covid-19 pandemic also had a negative impact on the centre’s financial situation.“The centre is currently in a dire financial position as we have lost a number of our donors and sponsors due to Covid-19 and its negative impact on the country’s economical position,” he said. For more information on how to assist the centre contact them on 031-464-0236
