KZN floods: Ramaphosa says government needs to prepare better for natural disasters

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government needs to prepare better for natural disasters in light of the flooding in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as a result of heavy rains.

“We also need to deal more with better preparedness for disasters, particularly climate change-driven disasters as well as just the town planning because people have built in very dangerous areas of the topography of [KZN] and we need to be more careful,” Ramaphosa said while speaking to the media outside a church in Mpumalanga on Friday.

According to the KZN government, an estimated 40,723 people have been affected by the flooding, while 395 deaths have been recorded in the province.

A preliminary assessment report from the KZN Department of Human Settlements has revealed that more than 13,500 households have also been affected by the floods.

In addition, just over 3,927 houses have been destroyed while 8,097 houses have been partially destroyed.

‘Work day and night’

With the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) being deployed to KZN this week, Ramaphosa said government was pulling out all the stops to deal with the situation in the province.

“There’s been such a catastrophe and we need to pay attention to everything we can do to restore the lives of our people there, businesses, infrastructure. The [SANDF] is a multi skilled unit of our government so therefore they are well placed to be deployed there to do rescue and search,” he said.

The president said government will have to “work day and night” until everything is restored in the province.

“It’s going to take us some time and there may well be some delays in terms of other infrastructure that will take time, but I’m pleased that our provincial government and our local government, in eThekwini particularly, are paying attention to all the work that needs to be done. To give our people water [and] to give shelter to those with who have lost their homes,” Ramaphosa added. 

ALSO READ: SANDF budget cuts could hamper KwaZulu-Natal flooding rescue mission

As government continues to assess the damage, the president confirmed that government has allocated R1 billion to KZN as emergency relief.

“I was talking to the Minister of Finance [Enoch Godongwana]… the funds are available. We working on how best [these funds] can be released. The money is there and that is going to happen so money is not going to be a problem,” he said.

Ramaphosa said an assessment needs to take place before doing so.

During an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Friday morning, Godongwana said R1 billion was available and that government was aware that “vultures will be waiting to pounce” when the relief funds are disbursed.

The minister indicated that the management of the relief funds may be centralised in order to prevent looting and corruption.

“In that sense, from my understanding, is that we will probably appoint an independent agency to deliver those funds as part of trying to put a firewall to avoid any looting,” Godongwana said.

He said the relief funds will be available next Tuesday and will be received by the KZN government.

READ MORE: How government plans to respond to KZN floods

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has indicated that the rebuilding of bridges and roads that are vital for economic activities in KZN would be prioritised.

This will cost billions of rands, according to the minister.

“There has been substantial damages in most parts of the Sanral road network. The preliminary report from the province have been estimated to R5.7 billion. The actual costs will be determined once the detailed estimation have been completed,” he said during a media briefing on Friday.

“At least 300 [kilometres] of rail and formations has been impacted either by being submerged under water, covered by mud slides or even support foundations and bridges washed away,” Mbalula added.

The national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has declared KZN as a provincial disaster area.

This is after the magnitude and severity of the impact of the floods in various parts of the province was assessed.

The head of the national disaster management centre, Dr Mmaphaka Tau, gazetted the declaration on Wednesday afternoon.

Additional reporting by Kaunda Selisho