WITH the second wave of the Coronavirus presently hitting South Africa, a poor rural district on the far north coast of KwaZulu Natal was handed some much needed cover from the global pandemic in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) on Monday.
Courtesy of the Japanese Government and in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, frontline workers and residents of the uMkhanyakude District were handed masks, sanitisers and other forms of PPE worth R1.6 million.
With uMkhanyakude well-known for its poverty due to the high rate of unemployment in the district, its citizens and leaders feared the worst when talks of Covid-19’s second wave surfaced.
Tourism is uMkhanyakude’s main form of income, as the area is bereft of other money-spinning industries, the national lockdown inflicted telling blows on locals and their livelihood.
iSimangaliso is the crown jewel in the district with its many natural features, including Lake St Lucia, and with its Unesco World Heritage Site status, it draws a large number of tourists annually and makes a significant contribution to KZN’s GDP.
“The gesture by the Japanese government is an immense contribution because we are dealing with people who would not ordinarily be able to protect themselves,” said Sibusiso Bukhosini, iSimangaliso’s chief executive.
Bukhosini maintained that while iSimangaliso was a conservation agency, his organisation had a responsibility to empower the people who live within and around their borders.
He said in the past they have been accused of being an entity that only cared about the “flora and fauna”, but this gesture debunks that notion.
He said protecting the lives of locals also ensured the longevity of the park because of support they received from those who resided there.
Having distributed the PPE, Bukhosini said the people of the area were given a sense of pride, hope and dignity.
“They feel appreciated,” he said.
Gabriel Dava, who is the chairperson representing 12 traditional authorities in the area, thanked the role players who made the gesture possible.
“Our people are not able to afford masks but the PPE we received will save our lives,” said Dava.
He said that local communities valued the park as it is on the land of their forefathers. “We know it is a World Heritage Site and it is a site for the whole world to enjoy.”