Durban — The SANDF’s Engineer Squadron soldiers deployed since mid-April 2022 following deadly floods in parts of KwaZulu-Natal for disaster relief continue with road repairs and rehabilitation in KwaNdengezi and Zwelibomvu west of Durban.
Captain Tshegofatso Gwai said that the soldiers continued to make positive changes toward the livelihood of local communities here in KZN.
“The men and women in uniform currently are simultaneously busy with two projects whereby they are repairing, clearing and rehabilitating the roads that were coercively damaged by the floods in these villages,” Gwai said.
The floods left the routes uneven and flushed out, making mobility and accessibility challenging for commuters to reach their destinations, Gwai said.
The road repairs and rehabilitation of these projects required extensive assessment. Prior to the commencement, the pre-assessment was done by the construction troop commander accompanied by construction machine operators, the reconnaissance commander and his unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crew.
“Their purpose was to determine the extent of the damages, the strength of the workforce needed, what type of equipment and materials will be required to complete the task and aerial photography required to supplement the reconnaissance,” explained Gwai.
“The construction machine operators and the field troops were then deployed to execute the taskings. The project sometimes takes a few weeks or a month depending on the complexity and extent of the damage. Different construction vehicles such as the dozer, grand roller, and tippers are deployed to serve varied construction duties on the sites. The construction machine operators are from 1 Construction Regiment, Gauteng.”
Gwai said that the squadron is under the command of Major Lucas Madimetja Masenya.
Daily News