The lack of synergy with regard to disaster management after the recent shack fires at Roodepoort Rugby Club informal settlement has received criticism from more than one source.
DA Councillor Gert Niemand has added his voice after a question he had raised at a council meeting.
“If disaster should strike, God help Johannesburg because the City will not be able to,” Niemand starts on a dramatic note.
“It is scandalous that South Africa’s economic hub, Johannesburg, is not prepared properly to deal with disasters. During the course of 2013, over 430 shack fire incidents were reported and attended to by the Johannesburg Emergency Services.
“The reality is that although the immediate response to the shack fires are dealt with in terms of the emergency response and putting out the fires, residents are left to deal with the aftermath themselves, once the site is declared safe,” explains Niemand.
“The City of Johannesburg by their own admission has conceded that the it does not have the funds set aside as required by legislation for disaster and incident relief. The National Disaster Management Framework states that 0,05 per cent of the City’s annual budget needs to be set aside for this. With a budget of a round R43,8 billion for this financial year beginning 1 July and the population estimated at 4,4 million the city has little more than R500 000 in a separate account for disaster relief,” claims Niemand.
According to him the City’s Disaster Management Department, which has staffing in all regions, has been reduced to administrative functions and lack human resources. These departments are not capacitated and allegedly are far under-resourced with material goods.
“These staff members may go out to disaster scenes and do a rapid needs assessment, but that is where the help stops.
“The burden of assisting effected residents falls onto the shoulders of the ward councillor who then needs to beg and borrow from (Non Government Organisations) NGOs, civic organisations, good Samaritans and churches to assist the effected residents.
“But in actual fact if the City have set aside the funds as directed in the legislation, and the necessary service agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed with suppliers and NGOs, the city would be in a position to assist the poorest of the poor physically in their hour of need when everything they possessed have burnt to ashes,” Niemand concluded.
