Today marks 21 days since the lockdown began and with a two-week extension, numerous households are in dire straits and desperately need financial assistance. LottoStar and East Coast Radio are committed to doing all we can to help as many families as possible.

These are the recipients of R10 000 in part 9 of our 100 households initiative.

Recipient 1, Lutchmee Pillay

Lutchmee’s husband passed away and she is finding it very difficult to provide for her two kids as she has no source of income now. She hasn’t paid her rent and cannot afford to pay for her electricity and water which has now been disconnected. Lutchmee can’t work due to the lockdown and has no income to support her household. In addition, Lutchmee lost her job prior to the lockdown and could barely afford to buy food and essentials. Thanks to Fabian Pillay’s nomination, Lutchmee and her family will receive R10 000.

Recipient 2, Liezl Rautenbach

Liezl is a self-employed baker, she has two young daughters and her husband is an IT technician for various petrol stations. Liezl’s husband cannot work due to the lockdown and he gets paid per kilometres he drives. The family has no source of income during this time and despite their current situation, Liezl still supports her parents. She is always willing to help other people and is in desperate need of financial assistance. Liezl was nominated by Vicky van Heerden and will receive R10 000.

Recipient 3, Olga Dhlezi

Olga was nominated by her neighbour, Sduduzo Mndaweni and will receive R10 000. Olga is a mother of two, her and her daughters live in Malukazi with her 77-year-old mother. She makes a living by selling sweets and snacks at the train stations between Durban and uMlazi. Olga’s mother, despite her age, sells cooked mealies at the Isipingo taxi ranks to make ends meet. With the lockdown in place, trains are no longer running and the selling of cooked food has been banned. It has been a very difficult time for the Dhlezi family. Olga has had to resort to asking her neighbours for food during this time and whatever food they receive, they cook in an open fire to save electricity.

Recipient 4, Ryan Boniface

Ryan owns a small Plumbing business and he relies on odd jobs to make a living each month, however, the lockdown has left him without any work. Ryan and his wife have a two-year-old son and are struggling cover their bills and purchase food during the lockdown. With the lockdown extended him and his family are left are in dire straits and to add to this, their son suffers with respiratory problems as he grows. Their family need financial assistance to survive through the lockdown. Thanks to Sean’s nomination, Ryan and his family will receive R10 000.

Recipient 5, Denya Du Plessis

Denya works for the Barnyard theatre and due to the lockdown, she has been out of work for nearly four weeks without any pay. Her husband Neil is a gym owner and had to close his gym, so both Denya and her husband are without an income during the lockdown. They have two children and are struggling to provide for their household during the lockdown. Denya and her family were nominated by Pat Maslen and will receive R10 000.