By Don Makatile
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Nelson Mandela’s widow and former First Lady of Mozambique, Machel was giving a road map for deliberations in a keynote address she made at a half-day public dialogue on natural disaster management in Africa at the Wits.
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“Governments need to seriously mobilise people in areas it is going to hit so that the impact on people it is going to hit is minimised. If it is happening or it has happened, what do we mean by response? Are we concentrating on giving out food and medicines - those necessary things people need to survive?
“I do not want to pre-empt the discussions, but what does resettlement mean? In many cases we think of infrastructure, not people. In what conditions are these people being resettled? Governments will be calling on the international community to come and assist with resettlement and reconstruction.
“As researchers, check out how much these governments have put into resettlement themselves, not only relying on international bodies to provide. I ask this because sometimes we behave as if this is the responsibility of international donors. We must take responsibility.
“We talk of infrastructure, to rebuild schools, railways, clinics how much are we focusing on human rebuilding? The disasters leave behind traumatised people, deprived of everything, including the loss of their dignity. How much focus should we place on humans?
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