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.
