DA questions Gauteng’s preparedness for a major disaster

The unexpected 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Gauteng today raises the question whether the province would have been able to cope with a major disaster, the DA said in a statement.

“This question is raised in light of the fact that the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) has not been operational for over three years now,” said the DA’s member of the provincial legislature Fred Nel.

“The Gauteng province is solely dependent on the resources and ability of municipalities and the national government to assist in the co-ordination of search, rescue and relief efforts in the event of a major disaster in the province,” Nel added.

Nel said previous questions he posed to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) have shown that the provincial government does not have sufficient information about the state of emergency services in Gauteng municipalities, and whether they would be able to fully respond to such a major disaster.

According to him, the budget for the PDMC is insufficient to make large emergency purchases in such an event, and would be dependent on municipalities and the national government to pay for such emergency supplies.

It is absolutely critical that the Gauteng provincial government provides the reassurance that emergencies will be responded to and people taken care of in the event of a major disaster, he said.

“I have today written to the chairperson of the CoGTA and Housing portfolio committee in the Gauteng Legislature, requesting the committee to conduct an oversight study on the readiness of Gauteng to respond to such events.”

The tremor, however, was not only felt in Gauteng.

ER24’s emergency media and client liaison coordinator Russel Meiring confirmed that one person died in Northwest, as a result.

“It is confirmed that only one person sustained a fatal injury in Klerksdorp near Orkney, due to the earthquake and no one else,” said Meiring.

The man was reportedly killed when a wall of a mining building fell on him.

This begs the question is South Africa ready for a major disaster?

Attempts to contact the CoGTA for comment were unsuccessful.