What's Happening?

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

NEED HELP? QUESTIONS@FIA.ORG.ZA

become A FIA member TODAY
member login

Santam Partners with eThekwini Municipality to limit impact of future disasters

ARTICLE BY

  • Santam
  • Santam

SHARE THIS POST

The eThekwini Municipality’s disaster preparedness has received a major boost with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Santam, South Africa’s largest insurer, which will provide disaster risk management support, capacity building and advisory services to enhance the Metro’s ability to prevent and handle future catastrophes such as floods, fires and droughts.

The Mayor of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda, and Santam Group CEO, Tavaziva Madzinga, signed the MoA to launch a three-year partnership at an event held at the Verulam Fire Station.

To kick-start support for the partnership, Santam has donated full structural firefighting equipment valued at R4 million to the eThekwini Municipality.

The agreement forms part of Santam’s Partnership for Risk and Resilience (P4RR) programme, which aims to assist South African communities with becoming more resilient to disasters triggered by natural hazards. To date, the programme has provided critical disaster risk management support to 82 municipalities across South Africa, positively impacting 12.5 million people across the country. Climate change adaption (CCA) is a key component of the P4RR programme.

The MoA will also allow the eThekwini municipality access to an online planning support tool that provides quantitative scientific evidence on the likely impacts that climate change and urbanisation will have on South Africa’s cities and towns, as well as presenting several adaptation actions that can be implemented by local government to best mitigate against the impact of current and future climate change. It assists municipalities with information and tools that allow them to develop climate-change response or adaption plans. The tool is supported by the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, National Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

The partnership between Santam and the eThekwini Municipality follows severe devastation caused by flooding in April and May this year, recorded as one of the deadliest  disasters to hit the country this century, which resulted in tragic loss of life and livelihoods and extensive damage to property and infrastructure. The eThekwini municipality suffered the most devastation and is still rebuilding many affected communities.

Madzinga said Santam was excited to partner with eThekwini and to use its expertise garnered over the past 104 years of its history to support the municipality.

“South Africa is experiencing the cost of climate change firsthand – and with 435 confirmed deaths, 80 people still missing, 128 743 people affected and more than R17 billion in infrastructure damage caused by the KwaZulu-Natal floods earlier this year, the cost is simply too high. The insurance industry is best placed to assist society with adapting to emerging risks and must, in partnership with other role players, therefore lead efforts to address the impact of climate change,” said Madzinga.

“Insurers have an excellent understanding of risk management and can use this knowledge and expertise to help communities mitigate against disaster risks and adapt to become more resilient against future events. The events and devastation of the recent floods are still very fresh in our minds and as Santam we know we can utilise our expertise and experience in risk management to ensure eThekwini is better prepared for the next disaster, which due to climate change, is likely to occur again,” added Madzinga.

Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda welcomed the establishment of this important three-year partnership as it will not only equip Municipal teams with relevant tools, but it will also go a long way in building confidence within communities in the city’s ability to adequately deal with emergencies and disasters.

“We have no doubt that the full structural firefighting equipment valued at R4 million Santam has donated will put eThekwini ahead of other cities when it comes to firefighting. This is yet another example of what we can achieve if we collectively play an active role in making positive change in the lives of ordinary people. It is our hope that what Santam is doing will inspire many more companies to join forces with government, “said Kaunda

For more on Santam’s P4RR, visit Santam.co.za.

Subscriber Terms and Conditions

  1. APPLICATION OF TERMS
    • These terms and conditions (“Subscriber Terms”) apply to the subscription by any qualifying member of the South African Underwriting Managers Association NPC (“SAUMA”) to the services and benefits offered by FIA Services (Pty) Ltd (“FIA Services”) under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement (“Subscription”).

  2. NATURE OF SUBSCRIPTION
    • A Subscription under this arrangement:
      • does not constitute membership of FIA NPC;
      • does not confer any voting rights or governance participation in FIA NPC; and
      • is governed solely by the contractual relationship between the Subscriber and FIA Services.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
    • To qualify for the Subscription, the applicant must, at the time of application, be a current paid-up member of SAUMA.
    • FIA Services will verify the applicant’s SAUMA membership status with SAUMA prior to activation, and may re-verify such status periodically.
    • If a Subscriber ceases to be a paid-up member of SAUMA, the Subscription will correspondingly be terminated.
    • Applicants are required to authorise FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA as part of the application process.

  1. SERVICES
    • The Subscription entitles the Subscriber to the following benefits:
      • Complimentary access to the FIA CPD Platform;
      • Complimentary access to the FIA Insight Magazine (digital edition);
      • Advertising opportunities on FIA platforms at a discounted rate of 15% (fifteen percent) off the prevailing published rates; and
      • Invitations to attend FIA Technical Webinars annually.
    • FIA Services reserves the right to update, vary or substitute the Services from time to time, provided that the overall value and nature of the benefits remain materially the same.

  1. FEES AND PAYMENT
    • The monthly subscription fee is R260.00 (two hundred and sixty rand) for up to seven registered individuals (Key Individuals and Representatives), and R36.00 (thirty-six rand) per additional registered individual thereafter, excluding VAT.
    • The Subscriber shall provide FIA Services with the required details of each individual to be registered under the Subscription for the purposes of activation and billing.
    • All fees are exclusive of VAT, which shall be charged at the prevailing statutory rate.
    • Subscription fees are reviewed annually in March and may be adjusted with effect from 1 April.
    • Any changes to the Subscription, including but not limited to the number of Representatives and Key Individuals registered under the Subscription, may only be effected once annually during the annual review period in March of each year, with such changes taking effect from 1 April.
    • Subscription fees shall be billed monthly in arrears, unless the Subscriber elects an annual billing cycle at the time of application.
    • The Subscriber shall ensure that all billing information (including contact details, authorised signatories and bank account details) is kept accurate and up to date.
    • Non-payment of subscription fees may result in suspension of access to the Services until such fees are brought up to date.
    • The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all subscription fees payable under these Subscriber Terms may be collected by way of debit order, which shall be processed by the holding company, FIA NPC (The Financial Intermediary Association of South Africa), on behalf of FIA Services. Payment to FIA NPC shall be deemed to constitute valid and sufficient discharge of the Subscriber’s payment obligations to FIA Services under these Subscriber Terms.

  1. ONBOARDING
    • Onboarding will be conducted as a Subscription with FIA Services under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement.
    • Onboarding will not confer FIA NPC membership status or any associated rights.
    • Onboarding is conditional on confirmation of the Subscriber’s current SAUMA membership at the time of application

  1. DATA PROTECTION
    • FIA Services will process all personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) as set out in our POPIA policies.
    • By subscribing, the Subscriber authorises FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA and to process personal information for the purposes of fulfilling the Subscription.

  1. TERMINATION
    • The Subscriber may terminate the Subscription by giving FIA Services one calendar month’s written notice.
    • FIA Services may terminate the Subscription on one calendar month’s written notice, or immediately if the Subscriber breaches these Subscriber Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 14 (fourteen) days of receiving written notice.
    • Termination of the SAUMA–FIA Services affiliation agreement shall not automatically terminate these Subscriber Terms.
    • Termination by the Subscriber shall not relieve the Subscriber of liability for any subscription fees accrued up to the effective date of termination.
    • FIA Services may suspend or terminate the Subscription with immediate effect in the event of non-payment of fees by the Subscriber.

  1. GENERAL
    • These Subscriber Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
    • Any disputes arising under these Subscriber Terms shall be dealt with in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in the FIA NPC membership terms and conditions, as modified to reflect that the contractual relationship is with FIA Services.
    • Any notices required under these Subscriber Terms may be validly delivered by email to the addresses provided in the Subscriber’s application form, and such notices shall be deemed received on the day of transmission if sent during business hours.
    • The Subscriber may not assign, cede or transfer any of its rights or obligations under these Subscriber Terms without the prior written consent of FIA Services.
    • No variation of these Subscriber Terms shall be of any force or effect unless reduced to writing and signed by both FIA Services and the Subscriber.