Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is proud to announce their sponsorship of R2,376,391. 90 to the National Sea Rescue Institute for the five ACSA coastal airports which consists of King Shaka International, George, East London, Port Elizabeth International and Cape Town International.
This amount was handed to NSRI CEO Ian Wienburg in East London yesterday. NSRI volunteers were publicly thanked for their valuable contribution towards providing a continued sea rescue service to the airports and the public in general. ACSA has been a loyal supporter of the NSRI for more than a decade and is a Platinum Partner.
NSRI CEO, Ian Wienburg says, “South Africa doesn’t have a state Coast Guard service. The NSRI, a section 21, non profit organisation was founded in 1967 with a mandate “to save lives on South African waters”. This humanitarian service has been provided by the NSRI for 44 years. We are manned by 980 brave volunteers with a fleet of 92 rescue boats stationed at 32 coastal towns and 3 inland dams. NSRI does not charge for their services as we perform humanitarian work and rely on donations, bequests and sponsorships to cover the annual running cost of R25m. The volunteers save NSRI a salary bill in excess of R250m per annum.
Michael Kernekamp, the Airport Manager at East London Airport says, “International aviation requires that our coastal airports which are located within a 10km distance from the coast need to have a sea rescue response service. Although we have high aviation safety standards in our country, we cannot afford to allow ourselves to become complacent.
“The unnecessary loss of a life is simply one too many and the NSRI is like an insurance policy that provides peace of mind and comfort to ACSA, general public and tourists and is also in support of business continuity. We are proud to be associated with the NSRI and the good work done by its heroic volunteers. ACSA as a ‘good corporate citizen’ acknowledges our social responsibility and obligation to the country by supporting erstwhile institutions like the NSRI in a climate of rising costs. ACSA will continue to support the NSRI and work closely with the response teams in support of hosting regular emergency drills to ensure our joint readiness to perform should the need ever arise”.
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