SA tsunami toll rises to nine

The bodies of two more South African victims of last week’s tsunami disaster in south-east Asia have been identified — bringing the number of confirmed South African deaths to nine, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

The bodies were identified in Phuket, Thailand, said spokesperson Nomfanelo Kota.

“We cannot release any details about these individuals as their families have requested us not to give out any information,” she said.

Information about two other South Africans confirmed dead on Monday is being withheld for the same reason.

Kota said the number of South Africans still missing and feared dead now stands at seven. These individuals were with family members or friends in the path of the tsunami, and have not been traced.

The number of South Africans unaccounted for, meanwhile, has dropped from 1 137 on Monday to 889 by Tuesday afternoon.

“Many people came forward to say they were safe and asking for their names to be removed from the list,” Kota said.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad appealed to South Africans who have returned from the affected areas, but not yet informed their families or the authorities of their whereabouts, to do so without fail.

South African officials were, meanwhile, combing hospitals, police stations and morgues in Indonesia and Thailand for traces of the missing.

“They are also putting up photographs wherever they can,” Pahad said.

He said a group of South African doctors has been preparing to render counselling services to survivors and the next-of-kin of victims locally and abroad.

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is furthermore preparing a number of engineers to take part in the stricken countries’ post-reconstruction efforts.

A South African delegation left for Indonesia on Tuesday to attend an international donor conference to be held in Jakarta on Thursday.

The delegation, led by Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Buyelwa Sonjica, will seek to determine the affected countries’ most pressing needs in a bid to focus South African relief efforts.

South Africans donate R2,5m

South Africans have donated R2,5-million towards the tsunami Asia appeal, it was announced on Wednesday.

The amount, to be transferred by the South African Red Cross Society (SARCS), will go towards a global campaign calling for R350-million.

Donations poured in from everywhere, from small companies to Cape Town hotels, the SARCS said in a statement.

There have been individual donations of between R20 and R20 000. The amount includes donations from the Pick ‘n Pay/Netcare appeal.

Said Ann Bown from SARCS external relations: “Taking into account the holiday season and the limited amount of working days since the appeal has been made, the response from the South African public has been phenomenal.”

The SARCS hopes to reach its target of R10-million by Friday.

On Tuesday, the South African government requested that all funds be channelled through to the South African Red Cross fund for expedience.

“Access to devastated areas is limited to helicopters. The roads are badly damaged and the only airport is congested with planes loaded with relief items. This is the reason for only requesting monetary support at this stage,” said Leslie Mondo, secretary general of the SARCS.

Relief teams from the Red Cross Red Crescent, consisting of volunteers from all over the world, arrived in Aceh on Tuesday to distribute basic medical provisions to the injured.

This is one of the areas that was hard hit by the tsunami, leaving communities devastated and vulnerable.

On top of the bandages, dressing materials and painkillers that have been distributed, equipment will be arriving that will allow the team to provide immediate basic health care for up to 30 000 people and provide clean water for up to 40 000 people. — Sapa

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