Chairperson, I would like to quote from Goethe's Maxims and Reflections, in which he has the following to say about nature:
We are surrounded by her and locked in her clasp: powerless to leave her, and powerless to come closer to her. Without asking us or warning us she takes us up into the whirl of her dance, and hurries on with us until we are weary and fall from her arms.
It would have been hard for anyone to predict the magnitude of the natural disaster that struck a large part of South Africa. It is also more difficult to quantify the cost in terms of human suffering which has occurred as a result of this natural disaster.
Hundreds of our people have lost their lives. Thousands have been displaced and are facing a bleak future. Moreover, with winter fast approaching, many of these people will be left to face the elements without adequate protection.
The spreading of diseases is also a very real danger to which many people, and women and children in particular, may be exposed. It is not difficult, therefore, to understand the enormous challenge with which we are faced. Although we may not be able to predict such catastrophic events, we must at all times be ready to deal with them whenever they occur. In this way we may be able to minimise the damage which they cause.
We must therefore express our sincere gratitude to the national and affected provincial governments, local governments and NGOs, as well as the communities, for having responded immediately to their disaster management plans, without which thousands more lives may have been lost. I want to convey a special word of thanks to the SA National Defence Force for their tireless efforts to rescue as many people as possible and to all people who rendered their assistance to alleviate the plight of those communities which were hardest hit by this catastrophe.
In pursuance of this objective to create a situation of readiness, the NCOP decided to establish a cluster committee which will liaise with the national and provincial governments on issues of disaster management, as well as the effects thereof and the results they could produce. It is envisaged that this cluster committee will work closely with all relevant stakeholders. I could mention a few, like the Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management at national level; the relevant Ministers that have to do with the developments that come about as the result of disasters; the National Assembly committees that are clustered alongside the cluster committees in the NCOP; the provincial premiers; the provincial legislatures, with direct reference to the committees concerned, as well as the relevant cabinet and disaster management committees at provincial levels; the respective provincial legislature committees; and organised local government at national and provincial level. They will all work together and aim to monitor and assess whether effective systems are in place to deal with these kinds of issues.
The NCOP being the forum where provinces can come together to discuss issues of common interest, it is hoped that this NCOP committee will kick- start the establishment of a well co-ordinated plan to deal with issues of this nature. They must come back to this Council and create this national forum to discuss issues affecting the provinces. It is only when we are proactive and prepared for challenges such as these that we will be able to soften the impact of disaster on those who are most vulnerable and at risk. [Applause.]