Mid 2022 – an example of resilience and ubuntu 

We closed the door on 2021 with the knowledge that Covid would be an unwelcome guest accompanying us into 2022 and that there would be more to follow in that particular chapter of our lives. What we did not anticipate was having to contend with a challenge of another sort which would test our resilience and our fortitude yet again.

In the past few months, the greater Durban area was subjected to floods of a magnitude not experienced in decades and in those harrowing days many lives were lost, and homes, businesses and infrastructure were destroyed or severely damaged. For weeks the supply of basic services of water and electricity was interrupted as the people of KZN scrambled to recover. And in the midst of this chaos and heartbreak we came together yet again as a community, reaching out to each other and fighting back. 

As a Firm with a strong commitment to our community, we concentrated our efforts in supporting the Search and Rescue teams who, together with the K9 dog unit, spent weeks recovering bodies from the debris and aftermath, ignoring the dangers, and displaying courage that was humbling. We dug deep at a time when many of us were already facing challenges of our own, believing that in investing in each other, we also invest in ourselves. 

And while the flood waters have dissipated, and the Search and Rescue Teams have withdrawn, there is much to be done to rebuild and repair. As we responded in July 2021 to the social and physical destruction caused by the riots, we have responded again. Communities are not waiting – they are repairing roads and water supplies, they are pooling resources and working together. Resilience and ubuntu – severely tested – but found to be as strong as ever in the people of KZN. 

Yet again we acknowledge a challenge to which we have responded in a manner that is the best version of who we should be. 

Yvonne Boden