A general view of Parys, where Venus Street, Briel Street and Yellowbill meet alongside the Vaal River, 20 February 2023, in the Free State. Sections along the banks of the Vaal River experienced flooding. Photo: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his budget speech on Wednesday afternoon, to share updates pertaining to South Africa’s national state of disaster response.
Godongwana explained the funds made available to assist with disaster responses – such as the recent floods across several provinces – fall into two categories.
The first component is emergency relief, which includes immediate assistance with regard to food, shelter, and medical assistance.
The second aspect, he explained, is recovery and repair. This is when contractors and engineers assess damages to infrastructure; these reports are included in the province’s budget.
According to Godongwana, R1 billion was made available during the previous financial year. Of that R695 million is currently available in the fund.
Moreover, Godongwana said an additional R1 billion will be made available for the next financial year.
The funds available will also be used to assist relief efforts as undertaken by the South African National Defence Force (Sandf), Godongwana said.
Furthermore, Godgonwana said part of the emergency response initiatives will entail provinces and municipalities working together to reprioritise existing allocations.
Priority should be given to the immediate needs of communities affected by the floods, Godongwana said during the budget speech.
Additional use of the funds would go toward building temporary shelters, rebuilding infrastructure, and funds for future emergency responses.
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Government declared a national state of disaster earlier this month, after widespread floods ravaged seven of the nine provinces.
The Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga recorded the most severe case, with vehicles being swept away by floodwaters, damage to roads and bridges, as well as a hospital in Limpopo.
The floods were a result of La Nina, a weather phenomenon which formed over the Pacific Ocean. In South Africa, these conditions were exacerbated by the above-normal rainfall and widespread thunderstorms.
ALSO READ: Floods: North West declared disaster area by municipality
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