Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Whether the Province has allocated disaster management funds to municipalities in response to the Covid-19 virus outbreak; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
The department has not allocated direct funding to municipalities for responding to COVID-19 outbreak. In line with the role of department’s disaster management function, that of coordinating all disaster related measures, the department has coordinating the application of funding for the Department of Health. The disaster relief fund to the sum of R 53 292 000 has been allocated to the province for different health facilities to the five districts and the metro. The following are projects attached to this allocation:
- Procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers to ensure protection against the contracting and spreading of the virus;
- To supplement the costs of the COVID-19 tests conducted at the National Health Laboratories (NHL);
- Procurement of additional hospital beds needed to accommodate caseload; &
- Procurement of additional ventilators for public hospitals specifically;
The department is also in the process of submitting an application (due 06 April 2020) for 22 municipalities including the Metro which have submitted business plans as per the invitation of the National Disaster Management Centre. With specific focus to provision of Essential goods and services to be provided by municipalities and provinces, the following qualifying category have been identified for this round of application:
- Provision of water services
- Provision of sanitation services
- Provision temporary shelters
- Waste Management, cleansing and sanitation
- Municipal public spaces, facilities and offices
