‘Where is the money?’ DA says disaster funds have not yet reached KZN flood victims

So stringent is the process for provinces and municipalities to access disaster funds, that it takes a bureaucratic journey.

In terms of government stipulations, flood-ravaged KwaZulu-Natal is required to make an application to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the department of human settlements (DHS).

Only after verification of an application by the NDMC and the DHS is the application sent to the National Treasury to release the funds.

Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa having pledged R1 billion towards a relief effort in the wake of last month’s devastating floods in KZN, the DA on Monday claimed that no tangible aid has been forthcoming.

However, in a stark contrast to the DA’s assertions, Ramaphosa lauded restoration efforts, saying much progress was made in KZN since the outbreak of the damaging floods.

But in an eight-page document which describes “the true state” of the flood-ravaged province – in the aftermath of the disaster that has left at least over 450 people dead, an estimated 50 still missing and 14 000 homes damaged – the DA proposes a set of actions, which include:

• An urgent meeting in KZN by parliament’s newly established ad hoc committee with the provincial government and the eThekwini metro executive committee (exco) – to conduct an introspection on successes and failures of state intervention;
• A call on Treasury to advise departments, the province and the eThekwini metro on the precise funding set aside for relief and rebuilding of infrastructure, and when it will be available;
• Urging the eThekwini exco to take charge of the deteriorating situation in the city and meet on a regular basis to direct disaster efforts; and
• Calling the KZN provincial government to lobby national government for the release of contingency reserve funds to ensure that rebuilding of infrastructure and damaged houses take off.

At a media briefing in Newlands near Durban, DA MPL and party leader in the KZN legislature Francois Rodgers said it was “very clear that government officials and politicians are hiding the real crisis, which is worsening every day”.

“More than one month after the floods, thousands of residents and communities across the city are still without water and have no idea when it will be fully restored,” Rodgers said.

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“Electricity outages continue to plague households, despite the metro being exempt from load shedding.

“When the president told the city that R1 billion in relief funding would be made available, he knew at the time that this was not true.

“This has become apparent after the KZN government admitted that this amount would have to be found through the reprioritisation of the provincial budget over the next three years,” said Rodgers.

Despite the undertaking, he said the impact of the funding was not visible.

“When a national state of disaster was declared in KZN, this should have ordinarily allowed access to funding from the contingency reserve fund,” said Rodgers.

“It appears that this has not happened. So where is the money and what was the purpose of the state of disaster being declared?”

However, Ramaphosa over the weekend lauded “the pace of progress towards restoring port road infrastructure and operational efficiency”.

Delivering a speech at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said restoration work included terminal clearing, rail line water draining and reopening, stormwater jetting and the repair of sea walls.

“With regards to port traffic, capacity has been restored and the port has handled more than 100 vessels since 13 April, and tugs are all operating at full capacity,” the president said.

He said work was underway to fix affected roads, especially strategic roads to the port.