Fire suits for Ukraine, with love from South Africa

Firefighters in Ukraine are now more likely to have the equipment they need to deal with the horrors of the war thanks to the efforts of caring South Africans.

Sixty firefighting suits valued at R1.2 million as well as firefighting boots and gloves are en route to Ukraine, courtesy of the South African public.

SA Jewish Report chairperson Howard Sackstein, The Angel Network, and South African firefighting manufacturer Marcé, were behind the campaign to help the people of Ukraine.

“Why did a bunch of South Africans who have no connection whatsoever to Ukraine think it was important to donate this [equipment]?” asked Sackstein, who co-ordinated the donation, at the official handover of the equipment to Ukrainian Ambassador to South Africa Liubov Abravitova last Thursday, 1 September, at Marcé’s premises in Centurion.

“We’re faced with one of the greatest human rights challenges of our generation,” Sackstein said. “We’ve seen a sovereign, independent country invaded, and millions of people, especially civilians, murdered and tortured. As the people of South Africa, we felt we had to do something. We felt we couldn’t be bystanders.”

Sackstein approached Abravitova after an SA Jewish Report webinar at the start of the invasion, telling her that many South Africans wanted to help Ukraine but didn’t have a way to do so.

This marked the beginning of the campaign. “We received donations of a huge amount of money, not just from South Africa, but from places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and England, from businesspeople and ordinary South Africans,” said Sackstein. “They wanted to send a gesture of love from the people of South Africa to the people of Ukraine.

“As so many civilian facilities in Ukraine were being bombed and the firefighters didn’t have enough equipment to get into those buildings and rescue the people inside, we said, ‘We’ve got South African manufacturers. Let’s send firefighting equipment from South Africa.’”

They sought a local manufacturer and contacted Marcé, a company owned by a 32-year-old female entrepreneur whose motto, “We exist to save lives”, seemed fitting. The firefighting suits Marcé manufactured for Ukraine consist of three layers – an inner layer which keeps water out, a middle layer which keeps heat out, and an outer layer which is durable and flame retardant.

“We could have done it quicker and cheaper if we had done it in Europe and shipped it across the border, but we would have lost the message,” said Sackstein. “The message is that we wanted the people of South Africa to do it.”

The Angel Network’s role is to see that every rand donated goes towards helping people in Ukraine.

“I felt supported when The Angel Network came to offer their assistance,” said Abravitova. “I remember at the first meeting, a number of people were enthusiastic, saying, ‘Ukrainians today are fighting for the values – like democracy – that basically built us a South Africa that is the Rainbow Nation.’ I warmly welcome this assistance. It’s a real message to Ukrainian people from South Africans, and it will be well received.”

Abravitova said she was amazed at how many South Africans contributed to the fundraising effort. “We hope that with this support, our firemen fighting the Russian invasion will be safe and able to save more lives,” she said.

Tim Hutchinson, the chief executive of South African drinks company DGB, the owner of top wine brands including Boschendal and Bellingham, recruited friends and colleagues into helping the campaign.

“We all wanted to make a difference. It’s close to my heart,” he said. “I remember as a little boy when we lived in Zambia, we ended up with refugees coming over the border and a refugee family sleeping in our garage. My friends in Europe live in small apartments but they have Ukrainian families in the spare room.”

Abravitova said about seven million people had fled Ukraine, while about 16 million were internally and externally displaced. “A lot of Ukrainians are outside, so the number of people living in Ukraine is less than the people who are coming back to their homeland.

“As of today, 92% of the Ukrainian population believes we will win this war. I’m part of that group. We see a lot of ordinary Ukrainians helping the military and territorial units, starting with providing food cooked in their homes and ending with our agricultural sector planting and harvesting at places under attack. The country’s inflation rate is already 31%, but if we lose people helping on the ground, we won’t be able to move the economy forward. People realise this, and are coming back to do something small to help us survive.”

Asked about the South African government’s stance on Russia’s invasion, Abravitova said, “We’re calling on all the countries of the world to help us because the devastation and casualties, especially amongst civilians, are huge. We would welcome any humanitarian assistance from the government of South Africa, but smaller organisations such as The Angel Network and different Ukrainian initiatives in South Africa are also very important.”

The Angel Network founder Glynne Wolman said, “The people of South Africa have such big hearts. We heard the cry of the Ukrainian people and couldn’t remain silent in the face of the humanitarian disaster faced by so many innocent victims.”