GMA Coronavirus Support: A father’s plea for his newborn and family

BACKGROUND: This is what many parents and breadwinners are facing during the extended national lockdown. Riaan Lotter, 42, from Randfontein has knocked on all the doors available for lockdown relief but says he’s not been able to even get as much as a food parcel for his family. His desperation is not for himself and his partner, Jumarie. It is for their newborn baby boy, Adriaan, who surprised them with a two-month early arrival on 9 April, as well as Jumarie’s eleven-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Riaan had hoped that he would be able to return to work as a carpenter on building sites before baby Adriaan’s birth, but that will only be possible on Level 3 of lockdown. He made baby Adriaan a cot from wood that he picked up and they were able to buy four baby-grows. He asked Good Morning Angels as a last resort to help him feed his family. 

REQUEST FOR: Riaan Lotter, his new baby, and family 

ANGEL:  The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC 

SPONSORING: The GMA Fund will send R10,000 in AngelRands to Riaan to enable him to buy essentials and food for his new baby and family during the lockdown. #AngelRands is Jacaranda FM Good Morning Angel’s own electronic voucher, managed and distributed on our behalf by eVoucher.mobi (powered by Celbux).

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Good Morning Jacaranda, Martin and team, Good morning Angels. 

I am writing to you because I am very desperate. Because of everything going on, mainly the extra two weeks extension, and the lockdown still not lifted, and the unforeseen premature birth of our newborn on the 9th of April, and after approaching and applying to relief platforms, incl Shaft, Sukuma, SMMESA, Gift of Hope, Solidarity Fund, Johann Rupert's P.A. to mention a few, with NO luck at all. Not even a food parcel. I am self-employed and have no means of income or in a position to claim UIF or anything else. I am begging for any help, please. I made a cot for the baby with wood I picked up, busy with a small chair as well. Please help if you can, food or shopping vouchers, anything will help. Attached is the cot I made for the newborn, for what it's worth. Thank you if you took the time to read.

Kind regards, 

Riaan Lotter