BY BUSINESS EDITOR
MBABANE – Three companies have been enlisted as the best-evaluated tenderers to be awarded the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) supply contract.
NDMA was looking for company/companies to supply building materials, Easy-Tech Investments Eswatini Wire and KZM Investments Industries Pty) Ltd were the best evaluated for the tender.
The company is expected to begin executing the tender after 10 working days, should it not be contested.
As the requesting entity, NDMA was also in charge of the procuring of the tender as well as its approvals. NDMA requested unsuccessful bidders to apply for review with the agency within 10 working days. “All tenderers who submitted bids are hereby notified that a period of 10 working days is hereby allowed for submission of any application for review,” said NDMA.
Meanwhile, Eswatini has been affected by torrential rain, causing extensive damage to some infrastructure and endangering the lives of emaSwati. In a statement issued by the National Disaster Management (NDMA) Communications Manager, Wandile Mavuso it was revealed that about 63 households had been affected by the rainfall.
Mavuso stated that NDMA would continue to conduct daily assessments of the ongoing torrential rainfall, which had caused damages to houses, roads, bridges, schools and other critical infrastructure across the country, posing threats to human life, displacement of affected communities and loss of livestock. He added that as of Friday February 10, 2023, the rain damaged houses while others houses were completely washed away.
Mavuso warned that rivers, bridges and streams remain flooded while roads have been damaged, isolating a number of communities and affecting access to essential services. Mavuso added that the latest assessment showed that a number of dams in the country were overspilling, leading to increased water flows downstream and increasing the chances of flooding.
“The impact of the rainfall is expected to worsen, increasing the cases of affected households and damaged critical infrastructure as the rain continues and a comprehensive assessment of the damage will be conducted,” stated Mavuso in the statement.
He said NDMA was coordinating emergency response interventions, working jointly with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society to provide immediate assistance while also assessing the situation for escalation into a significant relief and recovery situation in the country. The lack of resources remains the main challenge affecting comprehensive assessments of the situation on the ground and the provision of emergency assistance to affected communities. Also, he said accessibility in some areas remained a challenge because of the damaged roads and bridges.
