Air connections have proven to be essential in the aftermath of catastrophic anxiety and looting in KwaZulu-Natal. Airlink, Fly CemAir (Pty) Ltd, National Airways Corporation (NAC), Bidair, Civair Helicopters and Aeroplanes and SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) are among the many aviation entities and social enterprises that are proving to be vital at the forefront of bringing urgently needed relief and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the looting and civil unrest that has recently devastated parts of South Africa.
Aircraft of all sizes and types are being used to ferry various families out of the province, while some aircraft are used to fly in food and medical supplies and others to fly in staff to assess the damage caused.
The Howick Flying Club stepped up and made it’s landing strip available for relief flights. The aircraft, which are packed with essential items in Johannesburg, are flown from Randburg Airport to the airfield, which is situated off the R617 along the Howick to Underberg road. Some families have been chartering private planes at about R150 000 to fly their families and pets out of KwaZulu-Natal during and in the aftermath of the unrest.
The manager of the privately-owned Cape Winelands Airport, Mark Wilkinson said many requests were coming from donors and charities to help in any way possible and they were able to get involved and assist a relief flight departing from its neighbour, the Cape Town International Airport.
Andy Cluver, owner of Civair Helicopters and Aeroplanes said they had taken up to about a tonne of food to KwaZulu-Natal
“The Cape Winelands Airport contacted us and said they are putting together a relief flight and we got involved too. About a tonne of porridge was delivered. Some donors were from as far as Canada. The camaraderie is unbelievable. We started planning at 11:00 Friday morning and by 14:00 the plane took off for KwaZulu-Natal,” Cluver said.
Cluver said that such commitment shows how South Africans can come together in a time of disaster to foster solutions.
The day after the looting, burning and chaos started to subside in the province, it has been reported, Members of the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) were reaching out on their Telegram group asking if anyone needed to be assisted with supplies, food or medical supplies.
Pilots who had access to a range of aircraft from small single engine to larger twins rallied to offer their expertise with SAAPA leadership setting up a group with pilots who lived in the province getting feedback on the situation. To date, SAAPA pilots have assisted in collecting families and flying them out of the hot spots and bringing in much needed medical supplies to places like Margate and Richards Bay.
Using his own small 4-seater DynAero MCR4S, to evacuate people from Margate and took urgently needed baby formula and medical supplies to Pietermaritzburg, Captain Allen Lange was amongst one of the SAAPA members who assisted.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) together with private airline, Airlink, supermarket chain, Shoprite and global law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) have also joined forces to provide vital relief, supplies and support in cleaning up.
Together they provided and safely transported over 2 000 food packages and provisions to people who were currently without any food after shops in the city and surrounds were pillaged.
In a press release, it has been revealed that a team of 85 volunteers from Airlink and HSF flew to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday which was Nelson Mandela International Day where Santaco-affiliated minibus taxis ferried them to those areas in most need of support. Relief supplies and food packages were donated by Airlink, HSF, their respective staff and matched with contributions from Shoprite.
Airlink CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster pointed out that Airlink has a long association with Pietermaritzburg and the majority in the city rely on them when it comes to business operations.
“Many people and enterprises in the area rely on our services for their business and private travel. Besides supporting the clean-up and delivering vital provisions, Airlink, together with Santaco, Shoprite and HSF felt it was important to demonstrate how, by joining hands, it is possible to honour the values promoted by Nelson Mandela by repairing community trust, restoring civil society and rebuilding the local economy,” Foster explained in a statement.
“At this time of crisis it is important that we all stand and work together towards a common purpose as South Africans do best not just in addressing the immediate crisis, but in laying the foundation for a more sustainable and equitable society where the rule of law is respected alongside our Constitutional rights, including the dignity and well-being of every citizen,” said HSF Senior Associate, Tatum Govender.
Smaller airports in KZN have been used as a conduit to evacuate passengers and bring in much needed food supplies and security personnel. An employee at a charter company based at Virginia Airport said that at one stage a aircraft took off or landed every 10 minutes.
At Margate airport on the south coast, about 133 km from Durban, 29 light aircraft landed. Simon April, a spokesperson for the local Ray Nkonyeni municipality, said the increase was probably down to the fact that the roads from Margate to Durban were clear. “We are seeing a sizeable increase which we think is related to food and medicine. The roads around us are clear and offer safe passage to Durban. “
Low-cost airline FlySafair said it scheduled extra flights to Durban to transport supplies to the region. A spokesperson also said the airline had increased the carry-on allocation of passengers to accommodate the transfer of food.
The General Manager Operations(PRFO) for NAC, Shaun Starke said they were incredibly proud to be able to assist with the movement of critical medical supplies to KZN.
The goodwill being poured out from the aviation community and from other parts of the country is impressive indicating that on Friday last week, there were about 80 such flights loaded with food and medical supplies.
Following the destruction of a blood bank in Durban, it has been learnt that two private planes flew in blood supplies to the city and the SA Red Cross has also used aircraft to fly in supplies.
A mobile company flew in electrical cable to restore its damaged network towers, and more private security was flown in to protect businesses. Some farmers used their small planes to bring food to family and friends in the province. The pilots flying these aircraft have been fantastic. They have really pulled together when it was needed showing how vital air connectivity is.
The Muslim community has been also commended for assisting in getting aid delivered to the city, with CemAir assisting the Ashraful Aid organisation to fly tons of supplies for affected communities which include food, medical supplies, nappies, baby formula and care products and essentials to Durban.
The airline’s CEO Miles van der Molen said CemAir was inundated with calls this week as concerns were raised about food shortages. They handled the transport of goods from OR Tambo Airport to Durban, where Ashraful Aid teams are on the ground distributing the much-need supplies to those affected by the riots.
