Durban — South African general insurer Santam has partnered with eThekwini municipality and donated full structural firefighting equipment valued at R4 million to limit the impact of future disasters in the province.
The insurer, which provide services through a network of 2 700 intermediaries and direct channels, will also provide disaster risk management support, capacity building and advisory services to enhance the metro’s ability to prevent and handle future catastrophes, such as floods, fires and droughts.
This was announced during a three-year partnership event held at the Verulam Fire Station where a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed on Wednesday.
The partnership follows severe devastation caused by flooding in April and May earlier this year, which was recorded as one of the deadliest disasters to hit the country this century.
It resulted in a tragic loss of life and livelihoods and extensive damage to property and infrastructure.
Santam Group CEO, Tavaziva Madzinga, said the firm was looking forward to using its expertise garnered over the past 104 years of its history to support the municipality.
He said the insurance industry was best placed to assist society to adapt to emerging risks and must.
“South Africa is experiencing the cost of climate change first hand – and with 435 confirmed deaths, 80 people still missing, 128 743 people affected and more than R17 billion in infrastructure damage caused by the KwaZulu-Natal floods earlier this year, the cost is simply too high.
“Insurers have an excellent understanding of risk management and can use this knowledge and expertise to help communities mitigate against disaster risks and adapt to become more resilient against future events.
“The events and devastation of the recent floods are still very fresh in our minds, and as Santam we know we can utilise our expertise and experience in risk management to ensure eThekwini is better prepared for the next disaster, which due to climate change, is likely to occur again,” added Madzinga.
According to the municipality, the province was still rebuilding many affected communities.
EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the partnership would not only equip municipal teams with relevant tools, it would also build confidence within communities in the city’s ability to adequately deal with emergencies and disasters. He said the municipality had no doubt that the donated equipment would put eThekwini ahead of other cities in firefighting.
Daily News