Disaster raises questions over state readiness
Their system is too fragmented. When it’s two different political parties involved, they’ll delay each other deliberately so they can’t function Imtiaz Sooliman Head of Gift of the Givers
On any given day, Durban’s disaster management team has just 200 mattresses in its stores.
In the aftermath of flooding in which 85 people died and thousands were displaced, the eThekwini municipality is relying on good Samaritans and NGOs to provide relief.
The head of the city’s disaster management unit, Vincent Ngubane, surprised members of the executive committee during a meeting on Friday when he revealed the contents of the stores.
DA municipal caucus leader Nicole Graham called the disaster management unit a “complete shambles”.
She said: “What relief is the city able to provide to the 1,304 people who are reported to be staying in temporary accommodation?
“The city’s storm damage report lists blankets, mattresses and food being provided, but it’s common knowledge that the city does not keep store of these items and relies on NGOs and communities to assist. It’s unacceptable that the municipality cannot immediately assist those in need.”
She said the municipality’s response had been “incredibly poor” on several levels.
IFP executive committee councillor Mdu Nkosi said it was wrong for the municipality to rely on NGOs and the charity of citizens.
“It’s not [right] that NGOs are assisting more than the state.
“The disaster management unit is supposed to have a disaster fund so that it is able to respond quickly.”
Co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Zweli Mkhize rejected criticism that the national disaster management centre was ill-equipped and underresourced.
Mkhize said the department was working on improving its early warning capabilities.
“The early warning system is a multifaceted issue. It’s about training people to understand what you need to do in case of disasters, and what needs to be done in risk areas,” he said.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said natural disasters often left governments “paralysed” and so NGOs had to help.
“There are cases where infrastructure is damaged and their [government] staff are affected emotionally.”
However, he said he had told the government its disaster system was “all wrong”.
He said: “Their system is too fragmented. You have local government looking after disasters but then you’ve got the municipality with its own disaster management people.
“And when it’s two different political parties involved, they’ll delay each other deliberately so they can’t function.”
Mkhize acknowledged that many people left homeless by the floods lived in mud huts and other weak structures. They might have coped better if they had been in proper houses.