AVBOB pledges R7 million to assist destitute KZN families bury loved ones

Police, army and volunteer rescuers have been tasked with the difficult task of searching for dozens still missing five days after the deadliest flood to hit KZN in recent years.

Homes, property and key infrastructure were damaged, with mop-up operations set to cost billions of rands.  

Utility services including water and electricity were also disrupted.

The torrential rains have claimed almost 400 lives, with that number expected to escalate in the coming days.

With mortuaries teeming with dead bodies, funeral parlours expect some delays in burials.

 “There are concerns of roads being closed and the government mortuaries struggling with the number of deceased in their facilities,” says Avbob’s general manager of funeral services Pieter van der Westhuizen.  

“There’s definitely a backlog but it’s not so bad that it’s hampering our operations.” 

Dozens of families in parts of the province are understood to be in a financial fix, with concerns about how they will give their loved ones a dignified send-off. 

Government and NGOs, including Gift of the Givers, are among entities that have vowed to come to the table. 

AVBOB says it has also launched an independent initiative to assist the bereaved. 

“We’ve made available R7 million to assist families in KZN consisting of contributions to Gift of the Givers, Rise Against Hunger, the SPCA and hen obviously we’ve made available R20 000 per loved one that passed away due to these severe floods.

“These are efforts over and above what government has promised on their side,” Van der Westhuizen adds. 

The flood disaster comes less than a year after the province saw 8 days of mayhem during the July civil unrest where more than 350 lives were lost and billions lost to the economy.  

Listen to Van der Westhuizen below:

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