A message from President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM T H E U N ION BU I LDI NG S
Rebuilding lives
and livelihoods after the floods
I
t has been almost two
meet with business people
the dire situation of those
months since heavy flood-
in the city to lend our
who had lost everything.
ing wreaked havoc across
support to their efforts to
All these stakehold-
Having paid my second
ers have provided food,
visit to the city since the
clothes, blankets, dignity
When this natural disas-
floods, I am clear that this
packs and school uniforms
West, causing extensive loss
ter struck, there was some
concern was misplaced. In
to vulnerable families to
of life and damage to prop-
concern that authorities
KwaZulu-Natal, as in the
meet their basic needs.
erty and infrastructure.
had neither the capacity
Eastern Cape and North
Sheltering services are
nor the will to respond
West, all stakeholders
currently being provided
efficiently and effectively to
have been hard at work to
to over 7,000 people in
recover from these tragic
the four most affected
events.
districts in KwaZulu-
parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North
I recently visited eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal to
restore their operations.
relief assistance.
The National Disaster
Natal. Work has started to
Management Centre has
build temporary residenc-
been coordinating all
es for affected families on
spheres of government
state-owned land parcels
in their efforts to provide
have been identified in
humanitarian relief to the
KwaZulu-Natal for pos-
many households that
sible resettlement.
have been affected. It
10
The Departments of
has been pleasing to see
Home Affairs, Health and
the non-governmental
Social Development have
organisation commu-
been assisting affected
nity, business and relief
communities to access
organisations joining in
important services. For
working with government
example, mobile units are
to provide much-needed
helping those who lost
Public Sector Manager • May 2022
