THE recent cold front and snowfall in Gauteng left homeless people vulnerable, leading some to seek shelters for help.
South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned that these conditions would persist throughout the week.
Tebogo Mpufane, project manager of Life Changing Projects NPO, a shelter for homeless men in Tshwane, reported an influx of people seeking shelter this week.
He said this was common, especially during the winter months of May, June, July, and mid-August, but they are now feeling the pinch.
The shelter has about 180 beds and has reached its capacity, allowing those needing help to come through only for meals.
Leona Pienaar, CEO of Mould Empower Serve (MES), an NGO that provides shelter through outreach programmes, told Daily Sun they also saw an increase in demand for shelter.
"MES shelters are at capacity. At some of our locations, we have safe spaces or emergency spaces which we have opened to allow for more space,” she said.
Limited shelter space across the country and referrals from other full-capacity shelters continue to pile up, making it difficult for MES to take families with children in.
ALSO READ: Mafe: 'I burnt parly and I'll burn it AGAIN!'
On Thursday, 13 July, Daily Sun visited one of MES's shelters Impilo in Joburg.
A piercing cold could be felt through the corridors of the building housing almost 135 rooms, leaving the SunTeam to cling their hands into a fist to keep warm.
With load shedding still a pressing issue in the country, it becomes difficult to warm the shelter in these icy weather times.
Layering thin blankets is the only way to stay warm.
MES project manager Nhlanhla Zulu said it gets tough when they have to accommodate more people during winter.
She said they urgently need extra mattresses and blankets to help people out of the cold.
