The United Nations in South Africa affirms support to the rebuilding of the KwaZulu Natal province following recent unrest.

Durban, South Africa – The Resident Coordinator of the UN in South Africa, Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, affirmed the UN’s support and commitment to the rebuilding of the communities affected by the violent unrest in the KwaZulu-Natal Province earlier this month. This comes as the UN delegation is currently in the province to assess the impact of the unrest that left more than 300 people dead and many more displaced, vulnerable and unemployed.

“Our support to KwaZulu Natal is unconditional and we are going to work with you in an emergency mode not just for the immediate needs but for the medium and long-term which is now an emergency,” Ms. Bekele-Thomas told KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala and the members of his Executive Provincial Council during a meeting earlier this afternoon.

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the establishment of a task team between the UN and the Premier’s office including civil society organizations, who are expected to meet monthly, to assess progress made on rebuilding the province in line with the outcomes set out in the District Development Model.

The UN delegation will embark on a visit to the affected communities on Friday, 30 July 2021.

For interviews and media enquiries, kindly contact:

• UNICEF head of communications, Toby Fricker at tfricker@unicef.org or 061 418 7486
• UNFPA communications officer, Ziyanda Ngoma at ngoma@unfpa.org or 072 299 0868

For interviews and media enquiries, please contact Zeenat Abdool, UN South Africa - Associate Public Information Officer, at abdool@un.org or 0827788080