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The uThukela district’s capacity to respond to disaster incidents received a welcome boost on Tuesday, 13 April 2021, when KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Sipho Hlomuka handed over a state-of-the-art disaster response vehicle to the municipality.
Taking place at the district offices in Ladysmith, this marked a significant turning point in the department’s efforts to improve capacity in the province’s municipalities regarding disaster response.
While handing the vehicle over, Hlomuka emphasised the value his department places on disaster management centres’ proper functioning across the province, especially as they are the first respondents to catastrophes.
The handover of the disaster response vehicle follows a similar handover by Hlomuka in the Ndwendwe local municipality, where the department recently invested R2-million to procure a disaster response vehicle. The Mayor of the uThukela district, Cllr Mazibuko, officially received the vehicle from MEC Hlomuka in a small ceremony attended by fire and rescue personnel based in the uThukela district.
Mayor Mazibuko believes the investment by the KZN Department of COGTA will go a long way towards assisting the municipality, as the district is facing severe constraints in regards to resources.
KZN COGTA points out, the handover of the disaster response vehicle formed part of the Integrated Service Delivery Programme undertaken by Hlomuka in the district, where he first visited two schools: Gcizela and Tholulwazi Primary Schools. There he handed over school uniforms that social partner Icebolethu Foundation donated.
The MEC then proceeded to the town of Ladysmith, where he conducted a clean-up campaign. The aim of the campaign focused on encouraging residents to keep their communities clean.
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