According to M. Mensah, it was yet another tragedy that should not have claimed the lives of more than 150 victims on that day.

“Many have described the disaster as force majeure or an act of God, but if one carefully looks at all the circumstances surrounding the disaster of 3rd June 2015, many questions can be asked about what should have been done from a governance perspective to minimise potential fatalities,” Mensah said.

The disaster of that fatal day was as a result of hours of downpour compounded by an explosion from a fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah circle.

It is believed that improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters and a few other human factors contributed to the flooding of the capital city.

“The biggest cause of the disaster was the explosion of the petrol station and the question of whether the station was complying with regulations, and in fact if the government had ensured that there was indeed compliance through inspections should be asked,” Mensah pointed out.

Herbert Mensah is well known for his annual remembrance of the 9th May 2001 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster that claimed the lives of 126 football fans.

At the time of that disaster, Mr. Mensah was the Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko football club, who were playing their rival, Accra Hearts of Oak.

“The annual ‘May 9th Remembered’ events was initiated by a group of concerned people, and it is supported regularly by some organisations such as Interplast, the Gino Brands, Melcom, Sunda International, Golden Tulip and others.

That remembrance is in fact symbolic of remembering all such disasters in Ghana,” Mr. Mensah said.

Mr. Mensah has appealed to the government that May 9th should be declared a national day of observance in memory of the victims of all disasters in Ghana.

“Such a day of observance will not only ensure that we remember the fallen victims of disasters such as May 9 and June 3, but that all in Ghana can reflect on the critical issue of responsible behaviour and governance. Irresponsibilities such as those exhibited by our authorities on both occasions cost lives; and even the death of one person due to that is totally unacceptable,” Mensah said.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Herbert Mensah consoles June 3 victims appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The donation formed part of the 16th anniversary in commemoration of the May 9, 2011 Accra Stadium disaster, which claimed 127 lives of Ghanaian soccer fans.

Sunda International partnered with Mr. Herbert Mensah, founder of the ‘May 9 Remembered initiative’ and the event organisers to reach out to the surviving families of the victims of the Stadium disaster.

Speaking during the donation on Monday, Mr. Isaac Hu, Managing Director of Sunda International – Ghana, said the donation forms part of the core values of the company to serve the common people wherever it operates including Ghana.

“Our company’s core value is to provide a better price-value products and services to the common people for them to have a better life. The families affected by the stadium disaster are part of the common people we serve. We hope that our donation goes a long way to help them in the long-term.”

Mr. Hu also praised what he called a good business environment that prevails in Ghana for his company to operate effectively and efficiently.

“The government of Ghana and the traditional leaders have provided a very peaceful and good business environment to develop our business.”

“The memory of the stadium disaster sixteen (16) years ago, is important to continue to keep the peace, and we intend to move forward with Mr. Herbert Mensah in the future to support the families of these people and their memory.”

Some of the Sunda International brands donated to the surviving families included Kleesoft Dish washing soap and washing powder, Kleesoft toilet rolls, FasKit insecticide killers, as well as an unspecified amount of cash.

The ‘May 9 Remembered’ is an on-going yearly private initiative championed by businessman Herbert Mensah, who was chairman of Kumasi Asanti Kotoko at the time of the stadium disaster sixteen (16) years ago.

The initiative has been running since 2002 with the support of private sponsors to give continual material and emotional support to families of the victims of the biggest sporting tragedy in Ghana’s history.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Sunda International donates to families of May 9 Stadium disaster appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.