December 28, 10.16pm, a call was logged at Protection Services of a disaster that would take seven days to assuage.
The call was made by the ward councillor for Ward 25, Mqapheleni Ngcobo, who was later berated by members of the Amajuba Disaster Management team for choosing not to participate in ward based campaigns geared at efficiently managing disasters.
“The people of Siyahlala-la were under attack,” said acting chief fire officer and disaster management co-ordinator, Nelson Mpeko. “Yes, attack is the word I wish to use to describe this situation. They were under attack from torrents of water flowing down from Hilldrop and Boshoek into their homes in Siyahlala-la.”
As many as 90 per cent of the residents of the informal settlement were affected by the torrential downpour, 141 households had been flooded, 107 were partially damaged and 4 houses were completely destroyed.
In the aftermath of the flood, seven teams comprising of representatives from the Department of Social Development, Red Cross, the Fire Department and Disaster Management were deployed to assess the damage and offer relief in terms of tarpaulins, tents, blankets, mattresses and food.
During a debriefing last Thursday, the obstacles to effective disaster management were brought to the fore.
Mzwandile Xaba, a representative from the Amajuba District Disaster Management team commended everyone who rendered assistance during the flood, but felt that the Incident Management Protocol could have been better implemented.
“People reported to the councillor about what had happened and were given supplies before we had an opportunity to assess their needs. People, who did not report to the councillor, were left out and did not receive any supplies,” complained Mr Xaba.
It later emerged that politicking proved to be a major stumbling block to rendering assistance in an efficient and timely manner.
“People went to their political affiliates for help and this was a major challenge for us. We, as officials who are there to render a service, are not politically biased,” said Mr Mpeko.
He continued, “It was impossible for us to do assessments before we rendered assistance. On the first day, when people saw an ambulance approaching, they flocked to it for help. Some were injured, some thought there may be food parcels in the ambulance, and others were looking for supplies like tents and blankets. In the beginning, we felt it was more important to save people now, and do assessments later. The people who came to us for help were in danger, and those who had lost their homes and belongings were shocked and confused. We could not chase them away. We needed to provide them with assistance. In this regard, I am protected by the South African constitution, which clearly tells us, ‘Life first.’ I propose that, as a way forward, we need to team up and inform communities of the right protocol to follow in case of a disaster.”
The Provincial Disaster Management Team and the South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) were thanked for their contribution of food parcels. Discussions on how to streamline disaster management in the district will continue in the next meeting of the Advisory Forum.
