Over the past few weeks, Johannesburg has endured many storms and lots of hail, leaving multiple properties damaged and numerous people without shelter.
The City of Johannesburg’s Executive Mayor, councillor Herman Mashaba, held a meeting with City Manager, Dr Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni, officials from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the City’s Disaster Management Centre, Environmental Health, Citizen Relationship and Urban Management, Social Development and Group Risk and Advisory Services departments. Other City entities and officials from the Gauteng Provincial Government also attended the meeting.
Mashaba said, “From the beginning, it has been clear that, given the damage caused by the storms, the City could do little to contend with the scope of the damage and address the needs of all those affected. Currently, the City is undergoing a process of verifying the number of structures affected by the storm as part of its investigation into the full impact of the storm. So far, 1 153 of these have been verified.
“That is why, through the provisions of the Disaster Management Act [57 of 2002 (as amended)], and following extensive stakeholder consultations, including the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre, a decision was taken to have the City declare a local state of disaster,” he added.
According to Mashaba, section 23(1) of the Disaster Management Act states that when a disastrous event occurs or threatens to occur, the National Centre must determine whether the event should be regarded as a disaster in terms of the Act and if so, the National Disaster Management Centre must immediately:
(a) assess the magnitude and severity or potential magnitude and severity of the disaster;
(b) classify the disaster as a local, provincial or national disaster in accordance with subsections (4), (5) and (6), and
(c) record the prescribed particulars concerning the disaster in the prescribed register.
It is said that the City’s Disaster Management Centre is further concluding a business plan which will be submitted to the Provincial and National Disaster Management Centres and National Treasury for access to municipal disaster grants. The grant money will be used to undertake post-disaster relief assistance and reconstruction efforts, a process that is likely to take over 90 days.
Residents who want to make donations to those affected by the storm can call 011 674 0038.
Cash donations can be made to City of Johannesburg Disaster Fund at Standard Bank, account number: 00000 0018 9855; branch code: 000 205.
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