“This Disaster has necessitated the deployment of capabilities we usually don’t deploy – that is the Artisans from the Works Formation,” said Chief Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Lucky Siphiwe Sangweni during his visit to Operation CHARIOT deployed troops in May 2022.
“Based on the assessment of the situation on the ground in KwaZulu-Natal, it became clear that the SA National Defence Force would have to tend to more than just the security situation, rescuing of people and provision of water. That we would also have to be ready to support rebuilding efforts, when they began”, General Sangweni said in order to highlight the significance of his decision to deploy a multi-disciplinary team for Operation CHARIOT.
To address the requirement for rebuilding skills after the floods, 48 members of the Regional Works Unit KwaZulu-Natal, were deployed to Operation CHARIOT on 19 April 2022.
The Regional Works Unit KwaZulu-Natal, under the direction of Officer Commanding Colonel Marius van Wyk, is a unit that exists for the core function of maintenance, improvement and renovation of military facilities in KwaZulu-Natal.
With an overall workforce of 218 personnel, the Regional Works Unit KwaZulu-Natal consists of artisans with a variety of skill sets such as painters, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, plasterers, tilers and welders. Furthermore, this unit has members who are trained to be Construction Machine Operators for machineries such as Tractor Loader Backhoe (TLBs), Excavators, Graders and Skidsteers.
The 48 deployed members have been successful in
- Clearing and rehabilitating roads in Inanda, Mzinyathi, Kwandengezi, Mamdikazi and Ngcolosi;
- Clearing mud and rubble around houses that had been buried in the mudslides;
- Clearing mud from publicly enjoyed properties such as Kwa-Ndengezi High School, Thornwood High School, Brettenwood High School and the Cutshwayo Roman Catholic Church, to name a few;
- Assisting in the search for 3 missing members of the Gumbi family from Wushwini, who were swept away when a bulk water pipe flattened their homestead while they slept. One child was recovered the following morning, hanging on to a tree, for dear life, a few hundred metres from the house. The missing 3, have yet to be recovered;
- Assisting the Ntuli Family, from Ngcolosi in the search for the remains of their one family member who is yet to be recovered and
- Recovering the remains of 3 members of the Mdlalose family, who had 10 members swept away during the floods.
The Officer in Charge of the artisans, Major Thembekile Makhiqi, indicated that a total of 48 personnel are deployed for the SA National Defence Force disaster relief efforts in KwaZulu-Natal for Operation CHARIOT; with reinforcements from Regional Works Units Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape.
“Every trade is represented in this deployment. When the need arises, my members are employable to execute a task. Because we are a smaller group, we have been able to attend to the complaints of families and schools, which has allowed us to have a personal touch in our response to the pain felt by our people”, said Major Makhiqi.
Major Makhiqi expressed, “as Regional Works, our ability to provide interim solutions for community members to gain access to either their homes or roads, gives me great pride. This deployment provided the opportunity for Regional Works to showcase its capability.”
The refocusing of SA National Defence Force capabilities inward, due to an increased requirement for support for the various government departments, has had the effect of putting a spotlight on how advanced the SA National Defence Force is while showcasing why those specialised capabilities require expansion and investment.
One of South Africa’s biggest priorities is to develop qualified artisans to support our economy. In order to successfully deliver on our country’s Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPs), we need artisans.
In response to a question by Dasen Thathiah from the eNCA, Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya mentioned that the SA National Defence Force had been studying the trends regarding the increased requirement for specialized skills in the SA National Defence Force to support the government, such as the building of bridges and rehabilitation of dams and would therefore be looking into expanding the SA National Defence Force artisan capability.
In recognition of the specialized skills in the SA National Defence Force, the Department of Human Settlements has called on SA National Defence Force support on rebuilding projects in KwaZulu-Natal, as a part of Operation CHARIOT. Over the period July to September 2022, a 15-member strong team, consisting of Geotechnical Engineers, Structural Engineers, Plumbers, Welders and Electricians will be working with the eThekwini Municipality and the Department of Human Settlements to build permanent homes for flood-affected residents.
In the SA National Defence Force Artisan Core, it is widely known and accepted that whoever carries the light should go into the darkness, because in the words of Eraldo Banovac, “Problems often become worse if incompetent people try to solve them.”
Information and pictures by Major Mpho Mathebula and Lieutenant Phuti Badimo.
