Disaster Management teams placed on standby as heavy rains and snow hit parts of KZN

Women must be steadfast and claim their rightful leadership space in a patriarchal society. That is according to KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube who was speaking at the Women of Impact Seminar in Durban on 17.08.18. Dube-Ncube cautioned that the current generation of women will be judged harshly by history for setting future generations of women up for failure if they remain mere passive spectators to men and the patriarchal society we still see in South Africa today. “Times have changed dramatically in favour of women but I do not think we have occupied the space that we should be occupying. Take for example those who came before us who against all odds resisted to have their voices drowned out. They collectively faced the might of the apartheid regime and registered their concerns. Now our generation needs to do an objective introspection and ask some difficult questions - are we truly where we need to be?” - said Dube-Ncube. “One of the challenges we are facing is that we are bearing the brunt of poverty, yet opportunities are out there for us to turn our lives around. We do not want to work together and the pull-her-down syndrome is a hindrance for us to ascend to all the new economic opportunities that are now available. We need to close ranks, work together and support one another. We desperately need forums of this nature where we share ideas and map a way forward for aggressive women empowerment processes,” said Dube-Ncube. Dube-Ncube urged women to work together to nip in the bud the scourge of abuse of women. She said if women are not supporting victims of abuse and expose perpetrators, war against women abuse would never be won. “Enough is enough - women and our girl children are raped and killed. Perpetrators are usually men known to them; men who are their partners, husbands and uncles. These are people that should be protecting them but instead they do the opposite. We protect these p

As the predicted inclement weather hits parts of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has placed all disaster management teams on standby.

According to the South African Weather Service a cold front that is expected to sweep through the province starting from today and parts of Thursday. Gail force winds and heavy rains which could lead to localised flooding are expected along the coastal areas, with snowfall in the southern and central parts of the Drakensberg.

Dube-Ncube has urged motorists to drive carefully on our roads; “As a province we take this weather alert seriously and we are monitoring the situation especially in areas that we know are prone to incidents like localised flooding. We are urging all motorists on our roads to be extra vigilant as roads can become slippery. We call for extra caution to be applied when crossing bridges especially in low lying areas, we also urge residents to not cross walk ways or rivers. Those residing in low lying areas we urge them to seek shelter in higher ground”.

“The threat of snow in areas surrounding the Drakensberg is real and our teams are monitoring the situation and we urge motorists to pay attention to the weather reports before embarking on any trip which will take them to areas that are prone to snow fall” said Dube-Ncube.

For urgent assistance communities can contact the Provincial Disaster Center:  0800 005133.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Senzelwe Mzila. 082 302 3472.

 

Ends.