Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Question by:
Hon Ferlon Christians
Answered by:
Hon Anton Bredell
Question Number:
8
Question Body:
In the light of the Western Cape being declared a disaster area after the recent floods that battered large parts of the province:
- Whether funds allocated after the declaration by the national government assisted with the repair of infrastructure; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
- what is the state of readiness of the effected roads and infrastructure after the disaster;
- whether the Riverlands community and other communities that experienced flooding and structural damage were included in the disaster allocation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Answer Body:
- The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) classified the severe weather incident of 7 July 2024 to 12 July 2024 as a provincial disaster, while the Western Cape Premier published a declaration of the incident as a provincial state of disaster on 19 July 2024. The Province has not received disaster grant funding as the process has not yet been finalised. The Department of Local Government received the first round of preliminary damage assessments from sector departments and municipalities which were duly scrutinised. Thereafter, the relevant organs of state were requested to submit business plans for the relevant priority projects together with a costing. The Department of Local Government is currently carrying out the necessary verification process across the Province. Thereafter a funding request will be submitted to the NDMC for recommendation to National Treasury.
- After the declared disaster in July 2024, the Department of Infrastructure's readiness hinges on swift damage assessment, efficient debris removal, prompt temporary repairs, and the availability of resources for full restoration. The pace of recovery is directly impacted by the severity of the damage and the resources at hand. Given the constraints of the budget, full infrastructure repairs are expected to extend over several years beyond the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
- The National Department of Human Settlements are assisting the Riverlands community with temporary structures and other communities where necessary. The Riverlands disaster has not at this stage been classified as a local disaster and it is envisaged that Swartland Municipality and the West Coast District Municipality will follow due process for such a classification through their council whereafter the necessary recommendation, based on the council resolution(s), will be tabled to provincial cabinet and submitted to National Disaster Management Centre. According to the Disaster Management Act, nr 57 of 2002 only the Head of the National Disaster Management can classify a disaster.
Date:
Friday, August 23, 2024
