Durban — The SANDF soldiers deployed under Operation Chariot are still hard at work in flood-stricken areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
The soldiers have been in the province since the deadly floods of April submerged parts of KZN.
Joint Tactical Headquarters KZN commanding officer Colonel Arthius Mattius Nyalunga said the operation began in April due to a natural disaster, and the SANDF was immediately instructed to coordinate a response to the widespread devastation that was caused by heavy rainfall over the period April 11-12.
Nyalunga said that first in the theatre of operation was the air component of the SANDF – who came in to support the SA Police Service with the search-and-rescue missions, which unfortunately later became body recovery missions. They were situated at Virginia Airport.
“Over the course of three months, over 400 bodies were recovered by the teams consisting of SAPS, SA Air Force, and Gift of the Givers that worked 16 hours, seven days a week,” Nyalunga said.
He said after an assessment of the affected areas and the declaration of National Disaster, a call was made to put together a bigger response from the SANDF in order to augment the efforts of several governments, tribal and civilian organisations that found themselves overwhelmed by the effects of the disaster, thus the media release of April 18, 2022, which stated 10 000 would be mobilised for deployment under Operation Chariot.
“Thousands of troops were projected, and they set up camp all over KZN from the north to the south of Durban and immediately began the work of clearing roads, distributing food, water and other vital supplies, as well as strengthening the local security forces,” Nyalunga said.
“The lead agent in a natural disaster is obviously not the defence force, but the manpower, equipment, training and coordination that is necessary to efficiently respond to relief efforts falls within the expertise of a defence force.
“This operation provided the SANDF with an important opportunity to deepen experience and knowledge on what is required during a disaster as well as to strengthen civil/military/SAPS cooperation and interoperability - the reality that we might all have to become au fait with is that there will be another natural disaster and it should find us better prepared,” continued Nyalunga.
He said that during the execution of this operation, deficiencies with plans and processes were picked up, which will be addressed and remedied with the aim of offering a better response, saving lives and alleviating suffering.
The actual purpose in mind when the deployment began was to deliver what the General Officer Commanding of the Joint Operations Headquarters Major General Hlongwa termed “Quick Impact Projects”.
“During this operation, a lot of successes were recorded and I hope our soldiers are proud of the contribution they made to the well-being of the province and country. These range from water deliveries to bridge/road repairs.
“In addition to the physical work carried out, soldiers donated their personal funds and belongings. All that is listed above makes me proud to be a soldier in the SANDF,” Nyalunga said.
Daily News