Six months ago, torrential rains hit much of KwaZulu-Natal, resulting in widespread and devastating flooding. As common during the administration of President Cyril Ramophosa, speed-dial numbers for the SA Defense Force (SANDF) topped the list.
According to the SANDF Directorate: Corporate Communication (DCC) and the Joint Operations Division, the “recruitment” of up to 10,000 soldiers for flood relief and humanitarian assistance will begin in late April and end this month (September). It’s a schedule. date. The mid-September closure was announced by the Joint Operations Headquarters Commander (GOC), Maj. Gen. Sandile Hlongwa, during a July visit to the state’s worst-hit areas.
This deployment, as usual, under the banner of Operation Chariot providing support to the South Africans, engineers, infantrymen and women doing physical hard yards alongside craftsmen of works formations and SAs of various disciplines. Military Health Service (SAMHS) experts help improve health conditions and minimize the spread of epidemics such as cholera. The SA Air Force (SAAF) provided much-appreciated logistical support in the form of helicopters and light transport aircraft to move all sorts of supplies as needed.
An example of a job well done – this one by the Corps of Engineers – was officially commended by Chairperson of the Etekwini Metro Council, Tabani Nyawose, when he put some of his M4s back into service. On the official reopening of the Boys Town section of the M4, he said flood damage to the highway had affected the local economy. The reopening “brings great joy,” Nyawose said.
Maj. Lucas Masenya, commander of the Corps of Engineers tasked with rebuilding and rehabilitating Boystown, noted that the main function of the Corps is to provide accessibility and mobility. In this count, M4’s successful completion received the top mark.
In the immediate aftermath of a flood, the sight of camouflaged soldiers brandishing shovels to clear clogged roads and rainwater to drain mud and debris is a common and welcome sight for residents of coastal subways and surrounding areas. Clearing operations shifted to the use of tractors-loaders-backhoes, giving suburban residents access to their own interior clearing operations.
The provision of drinking water was another feather in Sappers’ cap. Portable water purifiers and sachet plants were installed in strategic areas so that people could have access to water without fear of getting sick.
Defense Force personnel on the ground in KwaZulu-Natal reportedly responded positively to Hlongwa’s appeal to work “one project at a time.”
“Understanding the purpose and the important thing is to insist on quality,” he told Sappers and Works Formation craftsmen at one site.
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