The City of Johannesburg has been experiencing heavy rains that are actively destroying infrastructure and devastating livelihoods.
December 09, 2022 in particular saw some residents of Joburg go through the most difficult of conditions. Emergency Management Services has been inundated with reports coming from all parts of the city. Vehicles sub merged into water, people trapped on roofs, collapsed walls, shacks and houses decimated, leaving little to salvage.
Region D has been highly impacted. In Klipspruit, Soweto, 11 houses were destroyed and 73 people affected. In neighbouring Dobsonville, 10 houses including shacks were reported to have been destroyed, leaving 48 people destitute. 52 houses also got swept away in Meadowlands next to Dorothy Nyembe, 42 shacks at Matholesville, 11 in Doornkop and 7 in Tshepisong.
Other areas that also experienced the wrath of the floods were Protea North, Braamfischerville and Princess informal settlement. Eldorado Park, Orange Farm, parts of Main Reef Road and Alex also needed assistance.
It was all hands on deck as Public Safety deployed boots on the ground to ensure there were rescue teams to evacuate people that were trapped. Johannesburg Metro Police, Swift water technicians, and teams from the Johannesburg Road Agency also did their bid in assisting those that were severely in need.
A total 339 people were affected by floods between December 09 and 10 2022. About 269 structures (houses and shacks) were swept away. Although the flooding incidents were not declared a disaster, the City of Johannesburg Disaster Management Centre created a hybrid Joint Operation Centre (JOC) to monitor and assess the situation, and also facilitate relief. This is a multi-disciplinary team that involves Housing, City Power, Social Development, JRA and other significant entities.
It’s during times like these that one can really see the spirit of Ubuntu come to life. Public Safety thanks communities that rallied together during this difficult time. A word of appreciation also goes to NGOs and foundations like the Ahmed Al Imdaad Foundation and the African Muslim Agency for their donations with blankets and hygiene packs.
The situation in Setswetla, Alexandra, is an unfavourable one. Our recent visit with Executive Mayor Mpho Phalatse and other members of Mayoral Committee painted a picture of a community in distress. The building of shacks on river banks persists, rendering residents vulnerable and in danger of being swept away by raging floods at any given time.
We will never shy away from the responsibility of keeping people safe. But we also need communities to play their part in ensuring that they adhere to water safety measures that the department has put in place. It is only through working together that we can really make a difference in the communities we live in.
We were saddened to learn about the recent tragedy that involved members of the Masowe Church the previous weekend, where 14 people lost their lives, among them women and children. As the city, we respect and acknowledge religious practices. The right to exercise one’s faith, and freely, is enshrined in the constitution. It’s in keeping that in mind that we appeal to religious leaders and church goers to find alternative ways to conduct their rituals.
We call on ward councillors to assist in ensuring that communities are educated, that churches are compliant, and children are supervised and protected at all times. No parent ever wants to bury their child. The search and recovery operation for the missing three-month-old baby is still continuing.
The recent floods have been widely attributed to climate change. The need to achieve the 2030 climate change agenda for sustainable development is now more important than ever. If not properly facilitated, the city will experience destruction of infrastructure, mass casualties and fatalities- leaving communities destitute.
Issued by:
Cllr David Tembe
MMC for Public Safety
For media queries:
Tlotlego Kgosilentswe
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MMC
078423 2724
12/12/2022
