Major General Hlongwa (2nd R) General Officer Commanding the Joint Operations Members talks with other members of the operation ahead of a mission from the Search and Rescue Centre at the old Virginia airport following heavy rains, mudslides and rain and winds in Durban, on April 19, 2022. (RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Any delay to rescue operations was caused by the need to adequately plan for the devastation resulting from the floods in KwaZulu-Natal — which swept away families and their homes — that could not have been anticipated, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has said.
The SANDF’s Major Sandile Hlongwa was responding to a question about criticism from some residents that the defence force had taken too long to respond with recovery assistance and in rebuilding the disaster-stricken province. He was speaking at a media briefing at Virginia Airport in Durban on Wednesday, just before boarding a helicopter to assess the flood damage.
“We had boots on the ground in areas last week and people will now see more of them in action,” he said. “As a country, we are prepared. But a disaster is a disaster. If we are planning, we take in certain factors. This came as a shock. For instance, the issue of mudslides. We have never had that before but today we have that.”
He said critical aspects of the recovery plan were already in place. The SANDF had two Phoenix aircraft, two BK4 helicopters and two Oryx helicopters as well as six navy search and rescue marines and troops posted in Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg and Durban, who were carrying out recovery operations.
“Currently we have 400 troops on the ground but the rest of 10 000 are still coming … this is just an advance,” Mahapa said, adding that this included medical services.
“There are 30 water tankers with a capacity of 35 000 litres per vehicle and we have earth-moving equipment on the ground. We also have a water purification plant that we have brought in. The processing area will be Inanda Dam because there is a lot of water there. We will be able to bottle water and distribute it,” Hlongwa said.
He said the SANDF was also at hand to respond to any incidents of civil unrest after an “isolated” incident of rioting occurred in uMlazi, where 12 people were arrested last week for entering two businesses and looting groceries and appliances.
“As of now there are no incidents but we are ready if there is anything on the ground. The police will request our assistance if they need anything,” Hlongwa said.
SANDF spokesperson Brigadier General Andries Mahapa said the defence force would survey the damage from the air, travelling along the South Coast and the North Coast, to assess its extent and establish which roads still needed to be cleared and which areas needed temporary bridges to be built.
“We are here for relief operations so we can assist the provincial government to try and alleviate whatever problems they are experiencing,” Mahapa said, adding that the SANDF would also help police search and rescue teams who were still digging for corpses in the flood debris.
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