Excitement during Ermelo Lighthouse ribbon cutting ceremony

With great pride and joy, the Ermelo Lighthouse was officially opened on Friday, 15 October 2021. During the ceremony hosted at the lighthouse, the CMR expressed their gratitude towards Msukaligwa Local Municipality for their support with the initiative. They also expressed their gratitude to all the volunteers currently involved with the project. The CMR’s Jeanah Motsamai, amongst others, thanks the roleplayers for their involvement with the project. The video of her speech can be viewed on our Facebook page, Tribune Ermelo. She also announced during the ceremony that a recovering addict, Sfiso, has also stepped in to assist with the drug addicts and prostitutes in Ermelo.

Sfiso has experience in this field, and had been involved in shelters and assistance of recovering addicts seeking help. The CMR has stated that they will start from the roots up, and uplift and assist the community members who have no way out, and eventually reform these individuals to contribute, and take their place in the community. “I used to introduce myself as ‘Sfiso the addict’, and I am struggling with a disease that only Christ can take away. I grew up in these streets, and was part of the problem on these streets. I am now part of the solution on these very same streets, but it is a struggle. We need to stand united, as this issue doesn’t only affect the struggling addicts, but it also affects us a community and neigbours. Before joining the lighthouse project, I was running a recovery house in Davel. In Davel, we assisted those in need, and promoted the word of God to these individuals, and saw the power of faith. We saw them change, and gave them new hope on life. However, the issue that we face is that these individuals always return to the same community where there’s still drugs, prostitution and more. I asked God for a way to deal with these issues, and he guided me to change the environment. This will be my mission by joining the lighthouse project. Another issue is to allocate the addicts and prostitutes seeking help to contribute to the community. Many of these individuals really wants help, but when rehabilitated, what will they do, and where will they go? We will aim to provide alternative means of making a living, and better the lives of those seeking assistance. If we address the physical and psychological side of the issue, but neglect the spiritual side, we will still have a problem,” Sfiso said.

The CMR would also like to thank the Ermelo East Church for providing the facility where the lighthouse is located. Therefore, Minister Dippenaar was asked to cut the ribbon, officiating the launch of the facility. At the facility, homeless people, drug addicts, and those in need will be able to clean themselves at the institution, as well washed their colthes on a daily basis. The Lighthouse also provides social workers for the necessary support, and there will be a decent and healthy plate of food available every day. The CMR also aims to provide several forms of training to these individuals, in an attempt to integrate them back into the community.

There will be different tasks daily that will be performed by those seeking assistance, thus maintaining productivity. There is also a safe room at the lighthouse, which will serve as a safe haven for one night where there were difficult conditions within a family. There are currently many businesses that have opened their hearts and joined hands with the CMR. Security guards will be on duty every day and every night, and the local SAPS has also agreed to help with the security of the premises. The CMR would, however, like to appeal to the community to volunteer at the lighthouse, with the day to day operations. There can never be too many helping hands with the operations.

The CMR also still requires donations of food, coffee, milk, sugar, pots and pans, cutlery and crockery on the short term. Toiletries, cleaning detergents, clothes, shoes and especially socks are required. Blankets are also needed. The long term needs include, but are not limited to deep freezes, refrigerators, tables and working surfaces, chairs or couches for the reception area, kitchen cupboards, tables, chairs and benches. Anyone who wishes to make a contribution, can use the following bank details: ABSA Bank, Account Name: CMR Ermelo, Account number: 870230133, Branch code: 632005. Enquiries can be directed to Wynand at 078 800 2711, or Jeanah at 079 799 9956. Interested parties can also contact the CMR office on 017 819 1163.