Nelson Mandela Bay: The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Risk Management Desk marked its first anniversary yesterday (13 May 2026), celebrating a year of coordinated action, strategic partnerships and practical interventions aimed at strengthening resilience, disaster preparedness and business continuity across the metro.
The milestone follows the recent floods that battered Nelson Mandela Bay, severely disrupting businesses, damaging infrastructure and affecting communities across the metro, while reinforcing the urgent need for coordinated disaster preparedness and proactive risk management.
During the flooding crisis, the Chamber’s Risk Management Desk worked closely with disaster response experts Gift of the Givers, businesses, municipal structures and disaster management stakeholders to provide strategic support, real-time communication and accurate information relating to high-risk areas, vulnerable infrastructure and precautionary measures required to minimise disruption.
Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Denise van Huyssteen, said the recent flooding demonstrated the growing importance of coordinated partnerships and rapid response mechanisms in strengthening resilience across the metro.
“During the recent flooding disaster, the Risk Management Desk played an important role in supporting the business community with accurate risk information, coordinated stakeholder engagement and real-time communication to minimise disruption and improve preparedness,” said van Huyssteen.
“The recent floods reinforced the importance of having structures in place that can rapidly mobilise information, facilitate collaboration and support informed decision-making during times of crisis.” Van Huyssteen also commended humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers for the critical support it provided during the flooding disaster.
“We commend They played a key role on the ground in supporting the crisis through their rapid mobilisation of teams, humanitarian assistance and critical resources to affected communities and strengthening relief efforts across the metro,” she said.
“As is often the case during periods of crisis, the Chamber also made its offices available as a central coordination point to support relief operations, stakeholder engagement and the distribution of critical aid, including food and clothing, helping to strengthen collaborative response efforts across the metro during the disaster,” she said.
Launched in May 2025 in partnership with Hollard and Santam, the Risk Management Desk was established to proactively identify, mitigate and manage risks threatening business operations, critical infrastructure and community safety across Nelson Mandela Bay.
Over the past year, the Desk has evolved into an active role-player within the metro’s broader resilience and disaster management framework, while strengthening collaboration between business, government and technical stakeholders.
From the outset, the Desk’s mandate has focused on addressing major risk contributors across the metro, including flooding, stormwater infrastructure failures, illegal dumping, fire risks, invasive alien vegetation and vulnerable infrastructure systems.
One of the most significant milestones achieved during its first year was securing formal inclusion in the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) whenever disasters are declared or anticipated in the metro. This has ensured that the business community has direct access to critical communication and coordination platforms during emergencies.
Among its key achievements over the past year, the Desk has:
- Implemented GIS mapping to identify and monitor key risk areas across the metro.
- Rolled out the Adopt-a-Pumpstation initiative, with seven pumpstations adopted to date.
- Relaunched Phase 2 of the Adopt-a-School programme, with 35 schools adopted to date.
- Launched the first Risk and Resilience MSME Programme.
- Initiated invasive alien plant clearing projects through business clusters.
- Coordinated large-scale clean-up projects in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
- Placed 17 YES programme participants with three NPOs in partnership with Hollard.
- Collected more than 20 000 bags of litter through the YES programme.
- Hosted three insight sessions aimed at creating awareness among Chamber members.
Together with the Chamber’s 11 Geographic Business Clusters, the Risk Management Desk has prioritised interventions aimed at protecting vulnerable pumpstations to prevent sewerage spills, safeguard the environment and support business continuity.
Several businesses and clusters have already implemented security and monitoring measures at vulnerable sites, including camera surveillance, fencing, patrols and lighting upgrades.
From the outset, the Desk has also maintained a close working relationship with Supporting Fire Services NPC, based in Cape Town, due to shared strategic partners. Supporting Fire Services’ mandate extends nationally, while the Risk Management Desk provides a local implementation footprint for projects within Nelson Mandela Bay.
Van Huyssteen said the success of the Risk Management Desk reflects the value of strong partnerships in addressing the risks facing Nelson Mandela Bay.
“The support from Hollard and Santam has enabled the Risk Management Desk to move beyond discussion into meaningful action and practical intervention,” she said.
“Building resilience requires sustained collaboration and long-term commitment. The progress made over the past year demonstrates what can be achieved when business, government and stakeholders work together around shared challenges and solutions.”
