COGTA Chairperson calls for urgent state of disaster declaration to unlock funds to assist flood-ravaged communities in KZN
The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation, Mr China Dodovu, has called on the National and Provincial government to move with speed to declare KwaZulu-Natal a disaster area. This will ensure that the necessary funds are unlocked to assist flood-ravaged communities in KZN.
The Chairperson has noted with despair the loss of life, the destruction of property and livelihoods, and the general impact the storms have had on access to essential services such as water and sanitation. “We hope the local, provincial and national government will move with speed, in the spirit of cooperative governance as encapsulated in the Constitution, to initiate the process to unlock necessary funding to assist the people of KZN. We are also calling for the speedy repair of critical infrastructure to ensure that the people receive water and sanitation in the affected areas,” Mr Dodovu said.
While the Chairperson noted and welcomed the many efforts to assist the affected communities, there is a need to urgently put in place mitigation strategies to avert the annual recurrence of such disasters. For example, there is a need for improved town planning and building processes to ensure that communities reside in areas that are relatively safe from mudslides.
The Chairperson also emphasised the need for businesses to contribute to the humanitarian efforts to assist the communities they operate in. This gives life to South Africa’s spirit of Ubuntu.
“At the centre of these calls is the need to ensure safety to communities and also to ensure that economic recovery which is essential for the sustenance of livelihoods in the affected areas is unlocked,” Mr Dodovu emphasised.
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