In April of 2022 the residents of KwaZulu-Natal faced devastation when heavy rainfall came down for days on end. This resulted in flooding in many areas which affected infrastructure, schools, apartment buildings, as well as company buildings. Many people not only lost their homes and valuables but they lost family members, friends and loved ones too.
One can only begin to imagine the impacts that a natural disaster of this extent has on the economy not only of the province but the country as a whole.
According to latest articles and interviews with various politicians, business people and the community. It is believed that KZN has a long way to before making a full recovery.
It is said that the city of Durban will lose around 1.8% of its annual GDP and it will take around three months to get its economy back to where it was operating before the floods struck.
An online meeting with business leaders provided a preliminary estimate of more than R700 million in operational losses, excluding the cost of repairing damage to infrastructure and properties.
“The economic impact of these floods has been severe as many industries had to cease operations. This loss was occasioned by the fact that the city has 1 152 businesses located within eThekwini’s floodplain, and the majority of them were impacted by the flooding” says Mxolisi Kaunda.
Based on the preliminary data from the survey, the most affected sectors of the economy are manufacturing, agriculture, construction, wholesale and retail and warehousing and logistics.
“Never let a crisis go to waste”, the old adage, which Winston Churchill first used during the worst of World War II, may apply to current efforts to repair KwaZulu-Natal – which has been hit by two major crises in under a year.
KwaZulu-Natal, which earlier in April was struck by devastating downpours and flooding that claimed more than 400 lives, is currently undergoing a massive rebuilding effort by government, businesses, and civil society. A civil unrest tore through parts of the province less than nine months earlier. The combined cost to the province has been in the billions.
May we all continue to pray for healing and recovery of the beloved KZN and its people.
Sources: Sarah Smit,2022. Lyse Comins,2022.
Sign up to receive updates, promotions, and sneak peaks of upcoming products. Plus 20% off your next order.
