The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala to urgently table a comprehensive plan outlining how provincial government will fund rebuilding efforts following the recent devastating floods.

The call comes after a report, presented to the province’s CoGTA portfolio committee yesterday, which indicates that more than R25billion will be required to get the province back on track.

The DA commends the comprehensive report by CoGTA, which has brought home the full extent of the destruction while also outlining just how long it will take for our province to recover.

Our main concern is the financial implications of rebuilding while both national and provincial government continue to send mixed messages about help which may or may not be coming. This is an issue which demands clarity from both the Premier and the President.

With more than 85 000 people and 27 000 households severely affected, along with the loss of 4 396 entire households - aid cannot come soon enough. Then there are the 460 fatalities and 87 people who are still reported missing. The DA’s thoughts go out to these families.

The report also highlights the desperate situation in Ugu which has left residents without any water since April, worsening their ongoing water woes. According to the report, R49 506 200 is needed to repair water infrastructure damage alone.

The question is – where will this money come from? Certainly, the struggling Ugu District does not have it. Ongoing water issues in other areas including, eThekwini and Tongaat, can also only be fixed if the money can be found.

KZN now finds itself in a situation where provincial government departments and municipalities are forced to reprioritise their budgets to deal with flood damage. With this, money will be moved away from new projects, maintenance and other important services leading to more issues later on.

Another concern as a result of the report is donated goods which are beyond expiry date. Regrettably, this is the case with recent donations from Qatar, which includes now unusable medical equipment. While the great humanity of so many has shone through, it is critical that this matter be addressed. The DA thanks SARS for their work in ensuring that all donations were made according to our regulations.

A positive from the report is the work done by KZN’s emergency services, many of them volunteers. The DA commends these teams for their sterling efforts which include saving 249 people from life threatening situations.

The citizens of our province need to know what this ANC-run provincial government is doing to help them. The time has come for the Premier to show that he cares. This means no more ‘nice to haves’ if government is to find the money to restore services to KZN’s long-suffering people.

 

Issued by Martin Meyer, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on CoGTA