Businesses equip SANDF to keep KZN safe
At the handover ceremony, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC handed over 21 vehicles to the SANDF, which were sponsored on loan by a number of businesses.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will now be more equipped to protect the streets and its civilians in the south of Durban after receiving a garage of vehicles to the tune of a few million rands.
At the handover ceremony, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC handed over 21 vehicles to the SANDF, which were sponsored on loan by a number of businesses.
The handover took place at the Army Support Base in Sialkot Crescent in Merebank, last Thursday. In addition to the vehicles, accommodation, food and fuel were also donated for the use of the SANDF members.
This was done in a bid to support the additional SANDF soldiers deployed in the province to reinforce security measures.
The donation was made possible with the generous contributions of companies such as Illovo, BP, Shell, Freight Park, Metair, Mondi, Mr Price, RCL, SAB, Sappi, Toyota, and Unilever.
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Speaking at the handover ceremony, KZN premier, Sihle Zikalala, said that this initiative demonstrated the never say die attitude of these businesses.
“In recent weeks, KwaZulu-Natal has found itself in the depth of despair during which destruction threatened to undo all our achievements since 1994. As we indicated in our meetings with business, including the Durban Chamber of Commerce, we are pleased that we have secured the national corridor and enabled the smooth running of supply chain logistics. This is important for our economy and for our resilience. We must rise and grow our economy again. In this regard, we are eternally grateful to the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, especially the SANDF and the SAPS, for their role in this regard. While their intervention was visible, it is the preventative aspect that we must also appreciate,” said the premier.
Zikalala further stated that without the law enforcement agencies, the province would be facing a much bigger disaster.
“We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to business in the province for your considered response to the recent crisis. Faced with this very painful and threatening situation, business has responded by pledging its solid commitment to KwaZulu-Natal. We are also pleased that as we rebuild, many businesses have pledged to save jobs and others to continue investing in the province. Today’s gathering is testimony that we share an unbroken common cause which is to build a future for KwaZulu-Natal and the continued development of its people. With all of us working together, we can ensure that KwaZulu-Natal can rise to take its place among the economies of the region and the world. This response will no doubt make light the burden that we have placed on the men and women of the SANDF, as they perform their duties across the province. We want to thank all of these companies for their contribution,” concluded Zikalala.
