-
[File Image]: CoGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa says he will press criminal charges against municipalities that fail to account for disaster funds. Dozens of people have died due to severe weather conditions in the country. The Western, Eastern and Northern Cape among others were the hardest-hit areas, with flooding and infrastructure damage.
WATCH | IFP leader and COGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says they will receive a comprehensive report on the extent of flood damage and will consider interventions to help rebuild and improve the lives of those affected. pic.twitter.com/MujmZU0fG0
— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 16, 2026
Hlabisa says he’ll convene a meeting on Sunday evening where accountability for money will top the agenda.
“Tomorrow evening, from 7pm-9pm , I’m convening the Inter-Departmental Committee on Disaster Management. The first thing that we will do, a municipality that has not accounted for the money that was given last year or early this year, if they can’t give an account, we can’t release extra money. If they don’t give an account, we will escalate the matter where there will be a need of opening criminal cases.”
RELATED VIDEO | Extreme weather becoming SA’s new normal?
