Article by Lindiwe Karosa
Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi and his wife Rachel Kolisi co-founded the Kolisi foundation which was initially created to assist children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The foundation has now shifted its focus to assisting South Africans in the global war against Coronavirus.
Rachel Kolisi posted a video on Monday in which she and her husband thank frontline workers who risk their lives on a daily basis to treat patients affected by the pandemic. The couple shared that their foundation intended to help provide equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to hospitals.
Rachel stated that the foundation had already managed to secure over 5000 litres of hand sanitizer and over 3000 reusable masks. The hospitals who have benefited thus far from this initiative are Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth and Khayelitsha Hospital in Cape Town.
Siya took the opportunity to also thank the families of frontline workers who have supported and allowed themselves to possibly be exposed to the virus. He called on young children to honour and praise frontline workers the same way in which they do to sportsmen like himself.
The Kolisi Foundation could not have stepped up at a more fitting time now that the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union’s (Nehawu) drags the government to the Labour Court for lack of protective gear for frontline workers.
The union says that there is a great shortage of masks, gloves and sanitizer for health workers treating Covid-19 patients.
South Africa sits at 1 749 confirmed positive cases, and 13 deaths.
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