Standerton’s mayor intent on disaster management plan
The municipality provided tents as a temporary relief and the community hall in Ext 6 was made available.
Delani Louis Thabethe, executive mayor of the Lekwa Municipality, cancelled all his engagements on September 19 to assist the victims of the storm that hit certain parts of Standerton.
A statement from the communications manager, Lubabalo Majenge, said preliminary reports indicated the storm damaged five houses in Ext 6 and two shacks in Thuthukani.
There is also damage to the kitchen area of Isifisosethu Primary School. The assessment was ongoing, and disaster management officials were scheduled to visit the affected families on September 20 to assess the extent of the damage.
Lekwa Municipality said the electrical department would also visit certain areas to assess the damage to electricity poles and cables. Because of damaged poles and cables, the municipality switched off some areas on September 19.
Members of the mayoral committee accompanied Thabethe on his visit, joining the fire, rescue and disaster management section of the municipality in assisting the families in removing furniture from their damaged rooms.
The municipality provided tents as a temporary relief and made available the community hall in Ext 6.
One person was injured during the storm when a flying corrugated iron hit him. No fatalities were reported.
The mayor went to Standerton Hospital to visit the injured person. He said the piece of corrugated iron hit the person when trying to save his young nephew, who was on top of the roof, attempting to place bricks on it.
“It is sad that the much-anticipated rainy season, which was supposed to bring joy to the people, has brought pain instead,” Thabethe said.
According to the mayor, the situation in some of the affected structures is a sad reality that more and more people need proper housing, which will be the only guarantee that when a storm hits, the people will sleep, knowing they are safe.
“I will continue to engage the MEC of Human Settlement in Mpumalanga, Speedy Mashilo, to fast-track solving housing problems in Lekwa.
“Ironically, on the same day of the storm, the mayoral committee received and endorsed the disaster management plan, which was last adopted in 2014.
“We will take the plan to the special council meeting on September 22 for approval.
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“The approval will enable the municipality to budget for disasters, which is not the case currently.”
He added the approval will assist the municipality in responding to disasters better and with a coordinated approach.
The mayor urged businesses to make contributions to assist these families with items to rebuild their houses and replace damaged furniture.
Thabethe also thanked all those who joined him, the ward councillor, community members, members of the ward committee and leadership of the LCF and EFF.
