Durban — The national government has been urged to stop politicking and provide relief to thousands of people stranded in community halls after the devastation of floods that destroyed homes and infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.
eThekwini deputy mayor and chairperson of the human settlements and infrastructure portfolio committee, Philani Mavundla, was responding to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who said last week that Treasury had still not received any properly supported requests from the KZN government for funds intended for emergency relief.
Asked whether a request had been made to access the funds, Mavundla said the municipality through the office of the acting municipal manager had made a request on April 30 to the Human Settlements ministry, which on May 4 acknowledged the request and said: “Due to the limited funds, the municipality’s application would be re-routed and consolidated with the provincial Department of Human Settlements application, where more funding can be accessed.
“We never expected anything better because we know that some people have integrity. Even with this money, we are not expecting to get it without a fight,” said Mavundla.
Contacted for comment, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s spokesperson Mluleki Mtungwa said that a grant funding application was made to the Treasury and a meeting was held with the Treasury on June 2, where the ministry said they had reviewed the funding and a response would be finalised.
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said it was disheartening that Mavundla, who had been part of meetings she had convened, publicly pointed fingers, suggesting there were currently no funds immediately available to assist frustrated families in need.
She expressed serious dissatisfaction with the slow progress made so far and said she had instructed the team to go back to the drawing board and come up with a revised and implementable plan to fast-track the work and yield tangible results on the ground.
“We acknowledge the frustration expressed by communities. The pace at which we are moving is not satisfactory. In an emergency situation like a disaster, it is even more urgent to get the necessary services to the affected families without delay. I have therefore instructed the team to urgently work on a revised and solid plan to ramp up the pace to respond to the plight of the people on the ground,” said Kubayi.
She added that the provincial Department of Human Settlements had appointed eight contractors from its panel to construct much-needed TRUs to accommodate affected families in eThekwini Municipality, iLembe, Ugu and uMzinyathi Districts.
Daily News