On 2 March 2018 four trucks loaded with approximately 60 000 litres of water arrived with great fanfare at the Cape Town Motor Show held at GrandWest, destined for use by several charities that care for vulnerable children, people with disabilities and animals.
The spectacular Cape Town Motor Show (CTMS) wowed crowds at GrandWest in Cape Town this weekend, and being cognisant of the water crisis in Cape Town, the organisers along with BP Southern Africa, and Orliflex, a Johannesburg based transport and logistics company, have coordinated an initiative to bring this much needed water to Cape Town.
At the invitation of the Cape Town Motor Show, Orliflex arranged for five trucks to travel to Cape Town from Gauteng to form part of the Show, and this presented the transport company with the opportunity to assist Cape Town by bringing water to aid a number of charities such as old age homes, animal shelters and people with disabilities. Orliflex, as organiser of the Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Truck Convoy, is also using the initiative to help raise awareness for prostate cancer, an issue close to the heart of their organisation.
Sarita Gerber, Managing Director of Orliflex, said of their involvement: “In November last year we organised a prostate cancer awareness convey of trucks during which we raised funds for prostate cancer research, so when we arranged to send trucks to Cape Town for the Motor Show, it seemed an obvious opportunity to assist Cape Town to receive water.
We were inundated with donations from schools and businesses in Pretoria and on the East Rand, and were thrilled to be entrusted with ensuring the water reached its intended recipients. We were disappointed to experience technical difficulties with one of the trucks, and the packing of this volume of water proved to be a huge logistical challenge. Disaster struck when three layers of stacked pallets collapsed and crushed some of the water. We worked late into the night to repack the water and only four of the trucks were able to travel,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Sarita and her team have today delivered 60 000 litres of water, and some representatives of the recipient organisations were present to experience the arrival of the convoy. BP Southern Africa sponsored the R 75 000 in diesel fuel and the trucks filled up at BP Service Stations along the route.
“BP Southern Africa is pleased to partner with the Cape Town Motor Show in support of this noble initiative, which will go towards scaling emergency water assistance efforts, specifically providing safe drinking water for vulnerable groups. We believe it is important to rally together in times of trouble and challenges. We urge the business community and South Africans from all walks of life to do their bit in support of the drought relief efforts. Collectively we can do so much more,” says Tebogo Mekoa, BPSA Head of Marketing.
As a socially responsible organisation, BP Southern Africa has also implemented aggressive water conservation measures at its service stations in support of efforts to avoid “Day Zero.” This includes suspension of wind-screen washing, radiator coolant water and car-washing services (unless waterless methods are used). The service stations are also being encouraged to install water tanks for rain water collection through gutters.
“We would like to thank our customers for their cooperation and understanding. Let us stand together in avoiding Day Zero,” says Mekoa.
South African Mass Animal Sterilisation Clinic in Khayelitsha is one of the recipients of the water, and their founder and Director Tamsin Nel said: “We treat sick and injured animals while conducting the largest and most focused free mass animal sterilisation and primary treatment campaign in Africa. As an organisation, we have sterilised almost 16 000 cats and dogs in Khayelitsha, the fastest growing and now largest township in SA – exceeding even Soweto in size. This water donation will go a long way to assist us in our mission to create safer and healthier environments for both the people and animals in Khayelitsha.”
Some other recipients are Cheshire Homes’ Langa Home for people with severe and permanent disabilities, Meg’s Mutts Rescue, Daisy Animal Rescue Trust, Home of Hope Cape Town for abused and abandoned children with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder, and Mdzananda Animal Clinic.
Garth Rhoda, Marketing Director for the Cape Town Motor Show said: “We were thrilled to see Sarita and her convoy arrive safely today after the many challenges they faced on the journey. We are grateful to all the donors and BP Southern Africa for sponsoring the fuel as this would not have been possible without them. This has been a very special way to kick off the Cape Town Motor Show weekend.”
The Cape Town Motor Show takes place from Friday 2 March to Sunday 4 March, and over 20 000 visitors are expected to enjoy the spectacle at GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World.
