Around 25% of KwaDukuza’s flood funding remains unspent, but the vast majority of projects are underway.
Only two of the 435 earmarked projects have not been allocated, with 293 so far complete and the remaining 140 under construction.
The projects have been funded by three separate grants given to the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) following damage to public infrastructure – mainly roads, bridges and stormwater infrastructure – during the 2022 floods.
The grants, allocated by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), totalled just over R1.4-billion, about R363-million of which was unspent at the end of the 2023/24 financial year in June. In theory, the unspent money should have lapsed given the initial conditions of the grant, but KDM remains confident it can be spent while awaiting a rollover request from National Treasury.
KDM’s project management unit director, Senzo Buthelezi, told council last week that previous feedback from Treasury, sent during the rollover application for 2022/23, should still apply.
“The municipality does not necessarily have to stop with the implementation of the projects, in the sense that, if they are confident that they meet the criteria on rollovers they may continue and once rollover approval is obtained, pass an adjustment budget,” wrote Treasury’s Marvin Ngobeni in August last year.
Buthelezi said this was confirmed by the NDMC’s Vespa Mabitsi on July 25.
So while no formal rollover feedback has been received by KDM to date, the municipality is confident work can continue.
That is good news for residents of KwaDukuza, who would otherwise have lost R363-million in infrastructure upgrades.
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