LottoStar and Kfm continue their journey of giving support to struggling families and households across the Western Cape by offering them a share of R500 000 during the national lockdown. These are the stories of the nominated families and recipients of today’s offering.

Recipient 1: Monica and Rion Olls

Monica & Rion are an elderly couple who, like many others fell on hard times many years ago, and circumstances forced them to move in with their daughter and son-in-law. They refused to allow themselves to wallow in self-pity and they opened a little stall at their local Root 44 market selling sunglasses - they pride themselves on their honesty and integrity and always go the extra mile for their customers, offering good value for money in a very competitive market. Over the last three years they have built their little business up to a point where they could finally afford to move out and into their own apartment - they loved their independence and took great pride in being self-sufficient once again and then came Covid-19 and the market was forced to shut down even before the official lockdown. This effectively destroyed any chance they have of earning an income. Monica suffers from severe asthma and Rion has diabetes, which puts both of them in the high-risk category, which of course adds to their stress levels. Thanks to Charmaine Byron’s nomination, Monica and Rion will receive a R10 000 helping hand.

Recipient 2: Emma Du Toit

Marshaline Du Toit nominated her grandmother, Emma who will receive R10 000. Ever since Marshaline’s mother passed away in 2016, her grandmother, Emma has looked after their family. Emma plays the role of mother, father and grandmother, to Marshaline and her three siblings. Emma works as a domestic worker and she receives a grant for the children, she uses her salary and the social grant to pay for school fees, food and other expenses as Marshaline has been struggling to find employment. The family currently have limited essentials as they had not planned for the extension of lockdown.

Recipient 3: San-Marie Aucamp

Prior to the lockdown, San-Marie was in hospital for a week with her three-year-old daughter who had very bad pneumonia. San-Marie began a new job on the 2nd of March after being unemployed for eight months. As she was only in her probation period when her daughter fell ill, San-Marie’s employer did not pay her while she cared for her daughter in hospital. San-Marie’s daughter could not go back to school as her lungs and immune system was not strong enough. She is a single mother and had no choice but to stay at home in order to take care of her daughter which she had to take unpaid leave for. San-Marie did not have any money to buy essential before the lockdown and she was I placed on temporary lay-off at work because of the lockdown. She now has no income during the lockdown, she used to sell the clothes in her my cupboard to buy her daughter food, but she cannot sell anything now because of the lockdown. On the 29th of March it was her daughter’s 3rd Birthday, San-Marie could not afford to buy her anything, not even a cake, this left her feeling heartbroken. Thanks to San-Marie for sharing her story, she will receive R10 000.

Recipient 4: Simone Priem

Simone faces the uncertainty of what the future holds for her. She’s not sure if she will receive her full salary this month. Her boyfriend got retrenched before the lockdown. She has a daughter and expecting another one soon. She’s struggling with her expenses that include her car’s monthly instalment and with her due date moved from June to May, she doesn’t have enough to afford stuff for the baby. Simone’s sister, Shenell Baker reached out to us for assistance. We’ve sent Simone R10 000 to help through this difficult time.

Recipient 5: Beulah Samuels

Beulah is described by her daughter, Quainita Jacobs, as a caregiver and strong spirited. She lost her husband to Alzheimer’s and Dementia on the 6th of April. She looks after her 2 children, with the eldest suffering from a mental disability and needs extra care and attention. Beulah is unemployed and her only source of income is her children’s social grants. We’ve sent Beulah R10 000 to assist and support her during these struggling times.