EDITORIAL | SA’s rescuers need all the help we can give

The work done by rescue workers, police officials, divers, traffic officers, firefighters and emergency personnel often goes unnoticed in ordinary times. Attending to road accident scenes, braving dams and rivers for missing people and dousing deadly fires are all in a day’s work for those dedicating their lives to helping others. There is nothing glamorous about their jobs. It is, however, in extraordinary times like these that the man in the street pauses to appreciate the work done by people such as Sgt Busisiswe Mjwara. She and her support dog K9 Leah died during a search operation in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, where the death toll from one of the worst floods in our history is more than 440 with dozens of people still missing.

The tragedy unfolding in our province is one of the worst national disasters in the recorded history of our country.

—  KZN MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Sipho Hlomuka

Mjwara, 42, has become the face of the KZN rescue staff working tirelessly through the natural disaster. She was searching for three drowning victims in the Msunduzi River when she got into difficulty herself. Her support dog tried to save her and drowned in the process. Messages of support for her friends and family as well as for K9 Leah’s handler, Sgt Mathews Phakati, have been streaming in. Their deaths are no less tragic than others who succumbed in the disaster and her work was no more important than that of her colleagues, but it is equally important to honour her.

Another police member, Constable Thandazile Sithole, 31, of the Durban Central Police Station, died when her home collapsed on her during the floods. Another 30 police officers have been affected, either suffering injuries or losing their homes or both. National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said additional resources from the police’s search and rescue (SAR) units in neighbouring provinces have been called in to provide much-needed help in KwaZulu-Natal.

The province’s MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Sipho Hlomuka, on Monday morning said the “brave men and women that make up the search and rescue teams” continued to attend to call-outs to search for at least 63 missing people. He described the “tragedy unfolding in our province is one of the worst national disasters in the recorded history of our country” and expressed gratitude to everyone who has been assisting those affected by the floods.

The provincial government had asked the national government to consider declaring this a national disaster, “so that more departments can get involved in the rebuilding process”. This is why we should welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision not to waste any precious time in heeding this call. Last night, he said cabinet had resolved to declare a national state of disaster to provide relief to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape which had been extensively damaged by floods. “This is a humanitarian disaster that calls for a massive and urgent relief effort,” said Ramaphosa. More than 4,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 40,000 people displaced. The damage has affected each and every sector of society and KwaZulu-Natal — including its search and rescue teams —  need all the help and support they can get.