Durban - Various civil, private organisations and community members have reportedly marshalled whatever resources they could to help residents around KwaZulu-Natal who were severely affected by the recent flooding.
With an almost impossible task placed on the government to handle alone, in the wake of the severe flooding, citizens have joined hands to clean up and aid those left stranded after their homes were destroyed.
South Africa’s most prominent relief organisation, The Gift of the Givers, has been on the front lines.
But even providing relief was a hard job due to inaccessibility, according to its founder Imtiaz Sooliman, who was speaking during a live broadcast.
We are urgently looking for a TLB to excavate a deceased individual who passed on in Durban North when the wall of the house collapsed. Search and rescue teams have been battling since Monday night to retrieve the body.
Kindly contact us if you can assist.
☎️Call: 0800 786 911 pic.twitter.com/7Zyts9IrEm
Sooliman said that besides the structural damages caused, people had sustained severe emotional trauma as a result of the floods. He said the organisation had been inundated with calls from people who by the sounds of it, were desperate for hope.
The Shoprite group also provided assistance to communities affected by the floods.
Shoprite’s sustainability manager, Sanjeev Raghubir, said the company dispatched three mobile soup kitchens, with more to come.
Raghubir said Shoprite has given R30,000 towards East Coast Radio’s relief efforts and will be giving various items to the Gift of the Givers and the Ashraful Aid.
“Shoprite will always avail its resources to assist disaster-stricken communities. We remain in close contact with the relevant organisations assisting with relief efforts to determine what aid is required and how we can support relief efforts,” he said.
Tarina Patel, a South African-born actress, told IOL that she's been trying to pool her resources and raise R2 million to help those affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
Patel, raised in Durban, said she raised around half of the money since she started the initiative earlier this week.
“The government has their hands tied at the moment, and we can’t expect them to carry this burden alone. There is a limited amount we can expect them to do. I feel like our businesses, and everyday people should also follow through with action,” the actress said.
Across eThekwini and the province, residents were seen conducting their clean up and sometimes rescue operations, as many loved ones went missing during the flooding.
The situation got dire, which forced the provincial government to declare it in a state of disaster. Earlier this month, the country was removed from a state of disaster with the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic reportedly easing off.
Ongoing search and rescue missions have seen the death toll rise to just over 300 as of Thursday.
It is unclear at this stage to determine exactly how many people have lost their lives due to the sheer scale of devastation, which has subsequently knocked out the electricity and water in Durban and other parts of the province.
IOL