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WATCH | Evacuated UCT students 'overwhelmed' by response to call for donations

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  • The UCT Graduate School of Business has collected donations for students displaced by the runaway veldfire.
  • Student leaders and volunteers packaged items such as food, clothing and toiletries.
  • The items were delivered to various hotels across the city that are currently housing the students.


Many University of Cape Town (UCT) students, who were displaced by a runaway veldfire, have been without necessities, like toiletries or a change of clothes, since the weekend.

The fire, which started on Sunday morning, razed several historical landmarks in the Mother City.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) pleaded with the public to donate food, drinks, clothes and toiletries.

Kumeshnee West, the director of executive education at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB), said:

A lot of these students were left without anything. They left with the clothes that they are wearing.

By Tuesday, donations flooded the GSB.

West told News24 they have received multiple donations, physical and cash, from various alumni and local businesses.

She said:

We have independent students who have collected huge amounts of money… So, if I need something, I just contact them and say I need 200 of a certain thing, and I'm just seeing things coming in.

"We are very overwhelmed with the responses," said the SRC's deputy secretary-general, Jamie-Lee Thomas.

"Gift of the Givers, there were many companies involved with making donations, [and] many people took it upon themselves to donate," she added.

Student leaders and volunteers were organising the various donations into packages. These were delivered to multiple hotels housing students.

West said everything had been running efficiently, and everyone had banded together to make it work.

"The vibe is amazing. Everyone is working together, everyone is looking for ways to bring in more donations. It's a really co-ordinated effort," she added.


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