Engen and Gift of the Givers have joined hands to bring much needed assistance to the Mooiplaas community in Kwa-Makazi in the Eastern Cape.

Situated 20km outside of East London, the community has had no access to clean water for many months, with the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown intensifying their dire need for clean running water.  

Stepping in to help, Engen and Africa’s largest humanitarian disaster relief organisation, Gift of the Givers have donated three large JoJo tanks as well as face masks and food relief parcels to 200 families.

“Given the challenging social context of the Mooiplaas community, Engen is firmly committed to investing in sustainable development initiatives that offer tangible value to the communities in which we operate,” comments Engen’s Managing Director and CEO, Yusa’ Hassan.

Despite the easing of the lockdown restrictions, many South Africans remain in dire need of help. 

Ever mindful of its role as an agent of positive change, Engen continues to focus on supporting organisations like Gift of the Givers and FoodForward SA in assisting vulnerable communities.

As a company that cares deeply about the communities in which it operates, Engen’s contribution to the fight against COVID-19 and the impact of the national lockdown includes a number of investments.

At the end of June, Engen donated fuel to the value of R1 million to FoodForward SA; fuel that will power FoodForward SA’s food aid delivery vehicles in their quest to expand their distribution of nutritious food to our country’s most vulnerable people.

In early June, Engen partnered with the Gift of the Givers to provide food relief to the South Durban community, distributing 1 000 food hampers.

Furthermore, R2.5m fuel and medical testing equipment was passed to the Gift of the Givers to boost their humanitarian relief work, and R1 million worth of fuel was directed to the Department of Health to power the emergency response vehicles of South Africa’s brave frontline health workers.

Recently Engen also launched a campaign to support the fight against COVID-19 by educating local communities on safety measures to curb the spread of the virus. This was achieved by branding 35 spaza shops across the country with educational murals to convey important messages on personal safety.

In Gauteng, Engen fuel retailers brought some hope and relief to the people of Diepsloot by distributing food hampers and basic supplies (including blankets) to over 6 000 residents. A further 1 100 food hampers were distributed to residents in Alexandra and Tembisa.

“We are deeply moved by those severely impacted by COVID-19 and the national lockdown restrictions and we hope our contributions make a small difference to each person who receives the comfort of a helping hand as a result of our efforts,” adds Hassan.

It is a spirit of community support that has catapulted Engen to the forefront of the South African consumer’s imagination, explaining the company’s enduring success in surveys like the Sunday Times Top Brands, where it has been voted South Africa’s favourite “Petrol Station” every year from 2011 to 2019 and the Sunday Times Generation Next, where the youth have voted Engen the country’s “Coolest Petroleum Brand” for 10 consecutive years (2010-2019). 

These accolades are further endorsed with Engen being recognised as the fastest growing brand in the country by Brand Finance in partnership with Brand South Africa. 

The Gift of the Givers is the largest disaster response non-governmental organisation of African origin on the African continent. The essence of the foundation is to bring hope and restore dignity to the most vulnerable.