The South African government will coordinate the country's aid package through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). The South African government has decided that the country's aid assistance in Haiti will be approached in three phases; namely:
The immediate search and rescue phase in which search teams will be deployed to the Republic of Haiti. This search and rescue phase will include the deployment of medical professionals. In this regard, the South African government, through Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Department of Health, have partnered with Vodacom, Netcare and Discovery in supporting the rescue team led by Rescue South Africa, a non-profit company which has worked with both DIRCO and the NDMC.
The second phase will entail activities such as the identification of bodies; in this instance the country will send forensic pathologists to participate in the identification of bodies amongst other elements.
The third and last phase will consist of humanitarian aid, in which the South African government will work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as The Gift of the Givers in order to provide humanitarian assistance where possible.
The South African government is appealing
to the South African public who is willing and able to provide assistance
in the form of aid or any other assistance to the Republic of Haiti to
contact:
George Kilian
Tel: 012 334 0667
E-mail: georgek@ndmc.gov.za
The media and the public is also welcomed to show support in the spirit of ubuntu by attending the departure of the South Africa rescue team at the Waterkloof Air Base at 22h00 today, Thursday 14 January 2010.
For more information contact:
Saul Kgomotso Molobi
Cell: 082 940 1647
Issued by: Department of International
Relations and Cooperation
14 January 2010