Tiger Brands, one of Africa’s largest listed manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods such as All Gold and Tastic, has renewed its agreement with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) to supply food hampers for another year. 

Representatives of the company were on campus recently to visit the UWC Food Bank and meet with relevant university stakeholders. 

UWC and Tiger Brands launched the Student Nutrition and Wellness programme in 2017 as part of a holistic exercise to address student wellness and contribute towards academic preparedness. The partnership helped establish a food bank on campus, stocked monthly with basic foods which are packaged into hampers. These food hampers can sustain recipients for a whole month. Beneficiaries have to meet criteria based on a needs assessment to ensure that the programme is fair.

The programme is managed by the Division for Student Development and Support (SDS).

“This project has made a difference to many students and its sustainability will go a long way in ensuring that students are supported in their student life journey.  The next step is to ensure that the impact is verified through evidence," said Mr Ncedikaya Magopeni, Executive Assistant to the Vice-Rector: Student Development and Support. 

Akhona Mfanyana, coordinator of the UWC Food Bank, explained: “For non-traditional students, once their tuition, rent and books for class are paid, and they have to pay for their utensils, transport and clothes, they find themselves without food in a matter of a week. Though they work to improve their circumstances through education, they struggle already to feed themselves on the first day when they arrive on campus. Since we signed the agreement in 2017 with Tiger Brands, our students have managed to focus on their academic commitments without worrying about where the next meal will come from.”

Professor Anesh Maniraj Singh, Director of Institutional Advancement, thanked Tiger Brands on behalf of the university’s students for its continuous support. 

“Research has shown that proper nutrition is an important ingredient for improved academic performance. The success of Tiger Brands feeds the success of our students.  I therefore wish Tiger Brands immense business success,” said Prof Singh. 

Pictured from left to right: Prof Anesh Maniraj Singh (Director: Institutional Advancement), Akhona Mfanyana (UWC coordinator of the food bank); Preeva Naidu (B-BBEE and Social Transformation Manager: Tiger Brands); Busisiwe Matontsi (External Affairs CSI Programme Coordinator: Tiger Brands); Zolile Ntukwana (Group External Affairs Director: Tiger Brands); Vera Adams (Manager: Fundraising and Donor Relations); Ncedikaya Magopeni (Executive Assistant to the Vice-Rector: Student Development and Support)