Khayelitsha, Cape Town's biggest township, recorded its second case of Covid-19 on Thursday.

One of the biggest challenges facing the government, and South Africa at large, is managing the spread of the coronavirus in such densely populated, under-resourced areas.

But, in times of crisis, it is up to ordinary citizens to rally to support communities without access or resources to protect themselves during the spread of this pandemic, said businesswoman Shafieka Salie-Effendi.

On Thursday, she dropped off 1 000 hand sanitisers for the people of Khayelitsha.

"I saw so many comments that there were no sanitisers available," she told News24. "I have a friend who owns a company called Empire Lab Supplies, and she then mentioned to me that she would donate 500 sanitisers to this cause."

Salie-Effendi joined the Khayelitsha Community Action Network (CAN) WhatsApp group to help mobilise awareness around the Covid-19 crisis and to assist in the empowerment of individuals who could then become leaders in their own communities.

She mobilised her own network of friends and family, and managed to raise the funds to donate another 500 hand sanitisers.

CAN groups were set up in a number of different communities by a local initiative called Cape Town Together as "a rapid community response to Covid-19". These groups offer a platform for communities to take action together and to share resources and information.

"The reason why I appreciate the help we are getting from CAN is because it has given us a platform to network and actually see our vulnerabilities, so that those who actually have the means to help the people who are disadvantaged, who are marginalised, it's their opportunity to give something back," said Tantaswa Ntswam, a public officer for a non-profit organisation (NPO).

For Bongilie Mfikili, a student, getting involved with the CAN group offered an opportunity for him to help those most vulnerable in his community.

"It's my township. I've always dreamed of taking care of people, so I think this was my chance to make sure everything was alright around my community," he told News24.

Mfikili said the biggest challenges facing Khayelitsha are around food security, affordable hand sanitisers and protective equipment, like masks and gloves.

"Even though there are alternatives, like Dettol, sanitisers are the best because they are portable. You don't have to carry around soap or have water," he said.

Mfikili added that such combined efforts are about our shared humanity - "it isn't about race, it's about helping the underprivileged, who are also human," he said.

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