Snow in KZN: Why was SA’s disaster management caught off guard?

The death of a woman after being stuck overnight in one of 1 823 vehicles trapped in heavy snowfall on the key N3 route linking Johannesburg and Durban has raised questions over the readiness of SA’s disaster management.

The 39-year-old woman died from hypothermia in hospital on Saturday, after spending Friday night with other passengers in a minibus, Midlands EMS operations manager Roland Robertson said.

Political analyst Sandile Swana said: “The entire Disaster Management structure of the state does not meet the minimum requirements of the Disaster Management Act.

“All the affected district municipalities should have used the past two weeks to prepare for this situation and prevent losses.

“Most of the money used is simply grabbed overnight from any arbitrary budget. The state never complies with the Disaster Management Act in terms of funding in any given year.”

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Dr Imtiaz Sooliman of the Gift of the Givers Foundation was one of the non-government organisations that came to the rescue.

“Helicopters can’t fly, tow trucks can’t move, the N3 and alternative routes are gridlocked and blocked by substantial snow falls. Graders are the only practical solution while waiting for the snow to melt.

“Motorists have been calling for assistance. People are running out of food, water and require blankets.

“The concern is for those who may require evacuation due to medically related conditions,” Sooliman said.

The South African Red Cross Society secretary-general Molefi Takalo said they witnessed how people could not access basic needs. They were able to provide for a lucky few.

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Lwando Qasha, who left Johannesburg by bus on Friday and was still en route to Eastern Cape on Sunday, said: “There was a total lack or urgency from surrounding municipalities and hearing that someone died just made the mood very sombre in the bus.”

Questions sent to the department of co-operative governance & traditional affairs had not been responded to by the time for publication.

National Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Elias Sithole told Newzroom Afrika that while they had received an alert, the scale of the snowfalls took them by surprise.

N3 Toll Concession spokesperson Thania Dhoogra said their recovery teams had their jobs made much more difficult because motorists tried to get around marked road closures and had ignored safety instructions.