The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has contributed a total of us$ 500,000 towards disaster efforts in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
SADC Chairperson Hage Geingob says Mozambique, the hardest hit of the 3 countries, will receive 200,000 united states dollars while Malawi and Zimbabwe will receive 150, 000 united states dollars each.
This follows after cyclone Idai has swept through Southern Africa, potentially killing hundreds of people and leaving widespread flooding in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
And dr. Geingob has since called upon other partners, within and beyond the region, to continue supporting the rescue operations, and in providing the needed humanitarian assistance.
In a statement, dr. Geingob says the economic cost and social impact of the cyclone to the affected countries, and indeed the entire region, is immeasurable.
Dr. Geingob who is also Namibian president says the cyclone, which killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands while others left a trail of destruction to land and infrastructure affecting accessibility and provision of health care and welfare to the affected communities.
Dr. Geingob says SADC appreciates the overwhelming support extended to the communities by some member states, cooperating partners, and most importantly by citizens of the three countries who combined efforts to assist their fellow nationals.
He adds that SADC stands in solidarity with the three countries as they recover from the tragedy.
Dr. Geingob says in view of the increased occurrence of climate-related catastrophes, such as cyclones, floods and droughts, around the world and especially in the SADC region, SADC reiterates its call for joint global efforts to reduce global warming and the impacts of climate change and variability, while stepping up efforts to enhance adaptive capacities of developing countries in line with the spirit of the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction (2015-2030) and article 8(4) of the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change.
He has since called upon SADC member states to re-double their efforts to strengthen disaster risk management capacities, as emphasized in the SADC disaster preparedness and response strategy adopted in 2016, and to fully operationalized the necessary collaborative mechanisms to ensure rapid joint and concerted responses to disasters.
It is about time SADC and the AU took care of Africa before the international community. Well done.
This is absolute peanuts …this is the kind of Money Chitotela alone was receiving from the Chinese SADC has to be serious it’s annoying
China Harbour transferred about US$300,000 to Andrew and Partners, a law firm that allegedly handled financial transactions on behalf of corruption-accused minister Ronald Chitotela.
And the bank official told the court that after receiving US$299,985 from China Harbour, Andrew and Partners transferred US$140,000 to “Lungu C”
Let’s be serious this is a consortium of countries ….EU alone has committed over 40 million Euros …. Let us average this across the SADC countries as a contribution you are talking 100,000 USD or so per country … excluding the affected countries
Shameless with such information that is why they want to gag the nation.
Great job SADC. It’s high time we started taking care of ourselves, instead of always waiting for help from Western countries. Create a big disaster relief fund for the SADC countries, and buy trucks and rescue helicopters as part of your preparedness for such natural disasters. We need to help each other and work together. Again thanks guys.
Well done SADC.
I applaud SADC for assistance to countries affected by the cyclone. Well done Zambia for your part.
Only half a million dollars Ata! This is the biggest disaster to befall the region and you only have pocket money to donate!
Oh my Africa you can’t help yourself, all your resources are in the hands of multinationals who expatriates all the profits, you get the crumbs in form poor quality jobs and very low tax nothing to invest in the people sectors like education and hospitals and nothing for infrastructure we have to borrow strangling our selves and future generation further while our resources are also being depleted by foreigners population increasing, what a scary future outlook .60% of Africans leave in abject poverty, in subhuman conditions.
politics in Africa have to step up and stop this poor leadership, stop the corruption and build strong institutions. Do all we can to have resources and profits there of stay and build our economies/ countries , build wealth and have resources to help the citizens in times such as this.The years coming are tougher: more natural disasters draught and flooding, bigger populations and depleted natural resources by foreigners who were given on silver plate by corrupt politicians.
We Africans are laughable accross the world how so many of us still live in mud huts, poor and yet 30% of the world resources are in Africa, we have one of the most arable land in the world.
We are prooving other races right when they say we are lower in intelligence who can’t look after our selves and should…
$500000 only, that is a holiday budget for some of MPs like fentelo
While the donation as a gesture can be appreciated, the amount is too little to have an impact on rescue operarions in the affected areas. If this donation was in Zambia the affected people would not see it. luckily there is accountability in these countries.
If we have to be seen as a community of responsible nations,then we must start being a community of planners and should plan for climate change related disasters.This paltry amount is too little to come 16 countries,the affected included! Why not make a permanent it for all 16 to be contributing each year based on their GDP,then issues like these include droughts and Ebola can be well managed.Its a shame that as a region we hardly manage to look after ourselves in times of calamities!!
A good response. It is better to render assistance through SADC than try to do it as individual countries as was being proposed by President Lungu. The bible says when giving help do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. In short, avoid ostentation or kulibonesha.