The Faculty of Management Sciences (FMS) represented Durban University of Technology (DUT) during a practical safety assessment event hosted by Msunduzi Municipality’s Disaster Management Centre in collaboration with various stakeholders in commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR) at Peter Pan Special School (LSEN) in Pietermaritzburg on 18 October 2024. The DUT delegation was made up of support staff from the Faculty Office, the Executive Dean’s Office and the FMS Marketing portfolio.
The day which is officially observed on the 13th of October is meant to reiterate the importance of disaster risk reduction and raise awareness of among others the natural disasters that are caused by climate change. It was commemorated in partnership with Msunduzi Municipality Disaster Management, Msunduzi Fire Department, uMgungundlovu District Municipality, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, KZN Department of Education, KZN Department of Health, the South African Weather Service (SAWS), Old Mutual and Santam.
In accordance with this year’s theme of “Empowering the next generation for a resilient future by promoting the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future”. The event was intended to provide valuable information and practical demonstrations on safety and responding to risks and disastrous situations for children living with disabilities from multiple special schools in the province.
Chairperson of the Community Services Portfolio Committee, (Msunduzi Municipality) Councillor Nokuthula Msimang, delivered the keynote address, highlighting that the day’s commemoration serves as a valuable platform for stakeholders to collaborate on educating and learning strategies for disaster reduction.
“This programme encourages individuals, communities, government, and society to contribute and become advocates of change as disaster is everybody’s business, and it starts with us to educate our communities and community leaders to ensure that we maintain safety,” she said.
Msimang emphasised that the platform also aims to ensure the safety of children and people living with disabilities, who are often excluded from community safety programmes despite being at higher risk during disasters like fires. She stressed the importance of raising their awareness of how to handle such situations.
Giving a message of support from the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, Mr Mzwandile Hadebe said their responsibility as a centre is to minimise risk and save the lives of the people.
“As the disaster management centre, we prioritise the safety of vulnerable groups including children living with disabilities hence we are here today and dedicated this year’s programme to teach these young people safety measures in case of a disaster,” said Hadebe.
Mr Wisani Maluleke from the South African Weather Services presented on the Impact-Based Severe Weather Warning System. Maluleka said the Weather Services is the authoritative voice of weather and climate in the country and SAWS aims to save lives and property.
“We want to make sure that we provide weather and climate solutions to provide a quality of life for the people of South Africa,” he said. He added that they have provided one of the solutions called an early warning system (EWS) which is an impact-based forecast system that focuses not only on what the weather is or will be but also on the impact it will have so that everyone can prepare for the impact.
Principal at Peter Pan Special School, Mr Kumaren Moodley expressed his gratitude for his school being recognised for this important occasion.
“We are ecstatic that our children have been recognised and remembered through this initiative as they are often overlooked by mainstream schools. So, this sort of campaign is so important to learners with special needs, and we are glad that it has come to us and that our learners are benefiting from this programme.
The event included fire department demonstrations, gift giveaways from DUT, and vibrant performances of song and dance by students from several special schools, including Ekukhayeni LSEN, Entokozweni LSEN, H.S Ebrahim LSEN, Peter Pan LSEN, and Open Gate LSEN.
Pictured: Attendees at the event.
Thulasizwe Nkomo
