KZN COMMUNITY ASSIST AND DISSASTER MANAGEMENT
MEDIA PUBLICATIONS
KZN Community Asssit & Disaster Management NPC 2015/192635/08 believe in operating and humbly doing work in the background t assist members of the Community and those who are less fortunate. We do not like been in the spotlight or in the limelight, as we believe that as in all religions humanitarian support is the highest of all callings, which should be done humbly.
There are times however the community as a whole have requested to honor their wish after we have assisted them and appear publically where they want to show their gratitude to us, on behalf of the community as a whole that we represent.
Below are a few Media Release Publications of our Directors, and Dedicated Community Volunteers
There are times however the community as a whole have requested to honor their wish after we have assisted them and appear publically where they want to show their gratitude to us, on behalf of the community as a whole that we represent.
Below are a few Media Release Publications of our Directors, and Dedicated Community Volunteers
Hijack victim lucky to be aliveAn Umbilo hijacking victim is lucky to be alive thanks to the speedy and effective response from neighbours and members of the KZN Community Assist and Disaster Management’s What’s app group.
March 15, 2016 IT was in the early hours of Friday morning that an Umbilo hijack victim who had been stabbed and beaten, cried for help with little hope that anyone would hear his cries and come to his aid. But Clement Matasane was wrong, and within minutes he was surrouned by a host of emergency and rescue services.
Recalling the terrifying experience, Matasane, told Berea Mail, he had regarded Umbilo as a “stable and safe” place to live in, since moving into the area last October, until Friday morning, when he was attacked by two knife-wielding men. “I was preparing for a trip in the morning and went to take my car out the garage. When I came to park the car I spotted an unfamiliar white car. There was a lot of garbage around so I think the two suspects could have been hidden among the bin bags. I parked the car in front of my flat and switched off the engine and had just taken the key out and was about to get out the car when they came at me. They just shouted “Give! Give” I tried to close the door but they were in. I tried to fight them off, we struggled for a bit and then I felt a sharp pain in my side and saw they had stabbed me with a screwdriver. I kept fighting and the shorter man held a gun to my head, probably because I continued fighting them off and they probably thought I might overpower them. I felt another hard stab and that’s when they pushed me out the car,” he explained. Clement, a research administrator at UKZN, recalled hearing gunshots before losing consciousness because of the amount of blood he had lost from the stab wounds. A community member, Mariska Barnard, heard Clement’s shouts for help and noticed the incident through her window. Through the use of the KZN Community Assist and Disaster Management Whatsapp group, it took just five minutes for her to round up police and emergency services to assist the injured man. Garrith Jamieson, operations director for Rescue Care, said paramedics were called to the scene at around 5am. “The man was allegedly hijacked and stabbed. We stabilised him and transported him to hospital,” he explained. Clement sustained deep stab wounds to his left arm and right abdomen as well as numerous gashes and bruises after his fight with the hijackers. “I just want to say thank you to the KZN Community Assist and Disaster Management team for everything they did, especially Mariska, who heard me when I screamed for help, Karin, who was there with me in the dark within minutes and Mark for for arranging all the emergency services to help me and recover my car. The support I received was truly amazing. It’s a classic case of community coming together to help when I was in trouble and danger,” he said. Karin Dreyer, a KZN CADM volunteer who was at Clement’s side in less than five minutes was happy to see him up and about back at work. “It’s great to see that he’s alive today after seeing him on Friday. We are here to help anyone in the community who is in trouble. In situations like these, you don’t think twice and time is imperative that is why the Whatsapp group is so valuable. Mark Lombaard, director and founder of KZN CADM said incidents like these was the reason the group was started. “We need such community participation to create better and safer communities to live in. Besides doing patrols our What’sapp group assist wherever they can. Just last week we had a woman break down at a shopping centre quite late in the evening and our members were able to assist and get her safely home. This is what it’s all about, helping each other,” he said. Lombaard KZN CADM, is appealing for more volunteers and sponsors to get on board to assist the community safety initiative. If you would like to get onto their Whatsapp community group contact Mark with your Name, Surname and Address on 0659868175. (Cellphone Edited from original post to Current Number) Original Article: https://bereamail.co.za/77377/hijack-victim-lucky-to-be-alive/ Fire guts Umbilo homeAn Umbilo woman has lost everything in a fire that devastated the home she was born in.
October 9, 2016 AN Umbilo woman, who has dedicated most of her life to assisting others and community projects, lost the only home she’s ever known, when it was razed to the ground in a fire yesterday afternoon (Saturday, 8 October).
According to Mark Lombaard from KZN Community Assist and Disaster Management, a member received a call from the home owner, Shireen Slater, at 2.49pm and rushed to the scene. “I called the fire department to inform them it was a positive call, and when I arrived at the house 10 minutes later, the fire department was on scene. By that time the house was already completely gutted,” he said. Devastated, Shireen told Berea Mail she wasn’t sure what started the fire.”I was sitting in the lounge with my foster daughter, Nonnie and my tenant’s child, Portia, when we smelt an electrical smell. We saw smoke coming from the toilet and ran out of the house. I kept Nonnie’s son outside and Nonnie ran back in to try put the fire out with water, and then neighbours gave us fire extinguishers to try put it out,” she said. Still shell-shocked from the tragedy of losing everything in the fire, Shireen said she had been born in the house. “At least we all got out alive! Two of my dogs ran down to the front fence and we found the third at the back of the house. I’m just sad. This is the only home I’ve ever known, ” she said, adding that she was not covered by insurance. Shireen said Nonnie had been taken to hospital as she was suffering with anxiety, but that she had later been discharged. The house was secured at 6.20pm and danger taped after a physical interior inspection and photos were taken by KZN Disaster Managent. The members left the scene at 6.30pm. Mark Lombaard said Shireen had dedicated most of her life to assisting with community projects, helping others in need, going without to help others, doing voluntary work for various non-profit organisations, non-government organisations and non-profit companies. He appealed to the community to open their hearts to help with donations. The family is in need of food, clothing, furniture, building materials, paint, kitchen appliances, linen, cutlery, old cellphones and anything else which will help them get on their feet.All donations can be dropped off at KZN Community Assist & Disaster Management, 482 Oliver Lea Drive, Umbilo. Should you be unable to drop off, contact either Patrick Verity or 0659868175 (Mark Lombaard) to arrange for collection. Heather Rorick from Bulwer Community Safety Forum is also helping Shireen by raising funds and collecting items. Contact her on 0742032792. Contact Numbers edited from original article to reflect current number Original Article:
https://bereamail.co.za/94627/fire-guts-umbilo-home/ Overgrown conservancy poses security threat Residents have called on the municipality to maintain the Umbilo conservancy.
April 6, 2015 RESIDENTS living in Oliver Lea Drive are concerned with the state of the conservancy bordering their properties and claim it is overgrown and poses a threat to their safety. According to resident Cheryl Eley, she has recently had to deal with intruders gaining access to her property through the overgrown conservancy which runs from Umbilo Park to Brettonwood High School, and up to Oliver Lea Drive. “The conservancy is terribly overgrown with bushes, bug weed and creepers providing wonderful cover for potential intruders. On Saturday, 7 March they cut a hole in my Bonnox fencing, and all three my dogs got out of the property into the conservancy. Luckily, they all returned home unharmed,” she said. She said her dogs had been traumatised by this experience and that when she tried to pat the male, he reared away. “He was skittish for two days afterwards. I am sure they had tried to hurt him in some way,” she said. Eley said the same intruders were back again on Monday 9 March around 10am, breaking the fence her sons had repaired. “I hit the panic button and Blue Security responded. By the time armed response arrived the intruders had long since disappeared. I phoned the Parks and Gardens Department and registered a complaint and request for clearance of overgrowth,” she said. Eley said there were squatters living nearby who were in a position to see and monitor the properties in the road. “It’s not safe anymore,” she said. Another resident claimed her dog had disappeared about a month ago and when it returned, showed signs of being tied up. She said she was nervous to walk in her own garden as the conservancy was not a safe place. Resident, Mark Lombaard, said house-breakers were hitting the houses in the road in the early hours of the morning. He said almost all the homes within a 100m area in Oliver Lea Drive had reported incidents. “Two weeks ago there was a burglary in one of the homes, and the next day Cheryl had an attemped break in. On Friday last week, a cast iron table was stolen over the fence of a property and copper pipes have been stolen from another house numerous times. Other houses have also been hit. Doors have been kicked open by men posing as building inspectors, and wheelbarrows have been used to carry stolen goods through the bush. We have a huge problem with fence hoppers who come through the conservancy,” he said. Councillor Nicole Graham said she had raised the issue at a Parks meeting last week where officials from Natural Resources were present. “Unfortunately, their ability to deal with crime related issues is limited as they deal with environmental issues and rely on others to do enforcement. I will raise the matter with SAPS and the CPF and request they pay more attention to these issues. I will also ask the department to have a look at the bush in question and trim it or remove some that is overgrown,” she said. Nomafu Dlamini from Natural Resources said the department would visit the site in Oliver Lea Drive in order to carry out a site investigation and attend to the problem. Original Article: https://bereamail.co.za/53832/overgrown-conservancy-poses-security-threat/ |
Abandoned Umbilo block a haven for criminalsKZN Community Assist and Disaster Management members are extremely concerned about an abandoned Prospect Road building which they stumbled upon during weekend patrols.
December 24, 2016 A COMMUNITY safety and secuirty group in greater Umbilo has raised concerns over an abandoned property they stumbled upon while patrolling the area at the weekend. According to Mark Lombaard, director of KZN Community Assist and Disaster Management, while doing foot patrols of crime hot spots in the area on Saturday night around 9.30pm, the group heard noises and glass breaking at the property on Prospect Road. “We called for more members and the police but there wasn’t a vehicle available. Even Metro Police couldn’t help us because they said they couldn’t get onto the property without a warrant,” Lombaard said. As community safety activists, who assist in ensuring the community takes security and safety precautions especially after a recent spate of crime in the lead up to the festive season, Lombaard said the situation was unacceptable. “This property is a real concern, because we have noticed an increase in hijackings, vehicle theft and armed robberies in recent weeks. When we inspected the property, we found it had been abandoned. We saw a lot of evidence of stolen property, vandalism of the geysers, light fittings and metal taps stolen.” “The place is completely derelict, yet there is dumping and evidence that people are are either living, squatting or using the place to stake out the homes in the area. There’s also access to nearby neighbouring properties and Pinewood Gardens which has also seen a spike in crime,” he explained. Lombaard and the KZN Community Assist called on authorities to urgently assist the community before the house became a den for criminals, vagrants and squatters. “It is a security hazard which we cannot afford in the area and a health and safety hazard. There should be danger tape, or security on the property to safeguard the property from being taken over by squatters which will be a bigger problem for neighbours. Another huge issue is that there is a water meter running and since the taps have been stolen, you can see and hear water being wasted which is unacceptable during a drought where people on the Berea have to deal with water cuts,” he said. Lombaard said the community could not allow the block of flats to become an open house for vagrants and criminals. Umbilo ward councillor, Mmabatho Tembe said while she was not aware of the abandoned building, she was concerned for the health and safety implications it posed to the community and would look into the issue. Original Article:
https://bereamail.co.za/94627/fire-guts-umbilo-home/ Boerie braai funds community workA weekly braai in Glenmore is a meeting point for residents, and a fun way to raise funds for the local neighbourhood watch.
June 15, 2015 AN initiative started by the Glenmore/Umbilo Neighbourhood Watch 14 years ago has grown in leaps and bounds.
According to Wally Coombe, chairperson of the watch, come rain, shine and gale force wind, the watch lights a braai to cook boerewors rolls, which are sold to the community every Friday night from 4.30pm. “This is a very close-knit community and we decided 14 years ago to start selling the boerie rolls at the watch base at the local shop, which is a focal point in the community where everyone meets. We bought our first three radios from the proceeds of our braais when we first started. It is a great way to raise funds to help us operate in the community,” said Wally. He said there were a lot of die-hards who came to buy their boerie rolls on a Friday, and said they always well supported by community, as well as taxi drivers who run their route and then stop on their way past to buy boerie rolls. “We get quality boerewors from Dirks and the rolls are very popular! Our braais are a big thing now and make people happy. Around 60 per cent of our buyers are students in the area,” he said. Pat Foyle, the big driving force behind the braai, said: “If you are committed to something you either go at it full steam ahead, or forget it! This initiative has worked well,” she said. Wally said the initiative was something other watches and forums in the area could learn from. “We encourage other areas to take up the challenge and start a similar initiative. It makes such a difference in getting to know the community,” he said. The watch currently has 45 dedicated patrol members who man the radios 24/7, ready to respond to incidents in the area. Original Article: https://bereamail.co.za/58193/boerie-braai-funds-community-work/ |