In just 4 days and thanks to the generosity of South Africans, DHL have managed to deliver over 284 000kgs of essential aid for victims of the Knysna fire.
DHL Express has announced that its local cross-business-unit disaster response team which was deployed last week to assist in relief efforts for residents who have been displaced by the recent Knysna fire, has transported over 284tons of emergency supplies to date, with thousands of kilograms still being processed.
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. The DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management.
And now they can add “kindness deliveries” into their mix.
With around 10 000 residents already having been evacuated from in and around Knysna, the fire currently raging in the region has been described by the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, as one of the most destructive blazes in recent memory.
In response to the crisis, DHL Express has set up a local disaster response team to assist in the relief efforts.
According to Megan Roper, Head of Marketing for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, the company has been coordinating the logistics of supplies to Knysna, George and surrounding areas since Friday 9 June 2017.
“DHL Express reached out to its sister companies, DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain to set up a cross-business-unit team of logistics experts who were tasked with coordinating logistics operations in cooperation with the Western Cape Government’s Disaster Manager Centre. This coordinated effort formed a crucial part in the relief effort chain.”
“Working closely with the Western Cape Government and Gift of the Givers, we arranged to collect donated aid from all the Fire Stations in Cape Town, as well as our 39 locations across the country, in order to transport emergency supplies for displaced families in the fastest possible time via road as well as air freight.”
“Gift of the Givers is doing a fantastic job in Knysna to ensure that aid is distributed in an efficient manner. DHL also extended their operating hours over the past weekend to manage the influx of aid, predominantly supported by our employees who volunteered to assist with sorting and packing,” Roper adds.
Hennie Heymans, CEO for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa adds, “In addition to the DHL transport of 284tons of donated aid, and the many other private companies and individuals who donated and delivered aid directly, the distribution centres in Knysna are at maximum capacity. We will therefore close our locations for drop-offs, effective 5pm on Wednesday 14 June 2017.”
“We would like to thank the public and many businesses for their generosity – this has been a great example of the South African ‘Ubuntu’ spirit, and DHL is proud to have been a part of it.
DHL are still collecting and processing thousands of kilograms of goods and the various drop-off points are still open for donations.
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