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Parts of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape submerged in flood water.
R1.2 billion in disaster relief funds will be awarded to various municipalities across the country from July to August this year.
The Eastern Cape province, which was severely impacted by the recent floods that claimed 103 lives including school children and where widespread destruction of properties and infrastructure was reported, was declared a national disaster zone by national government.
For this reason the province will be receiving the biggest allocation of disaster relief funds.
The funding is being allocated in three phases.
Briefing the media in Johannesburg, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa warned against the misuse of these funds.
He says a verification process will be done to ensure there is no price inflation.
“There are municipalities even now, who are struggling to pay salaries and we will be observing them very closely, that this money is not going to salaries. We have identified them as red flag municipalities and maybe before August 5 we will invite the media to a joint meeting with premiers, MECs and all these municipalities who were given money last year, again in March and now, we want that to be transparent.”
Hlabisa says municipalities who failed to account for previously allocated funds will not receive more money. Instead, a service provider will be appointed to do the work.
“When a municipality is unable to account, we will not release the next tranche. As I have explained, if we don’t release the money, communities will be affected. The allocation that we will announce on 5 August, if the municipality has not been accountable, the only remaining option is to appoint a service provider, to do the service for the community.”
The department revealed that it took about six months to allocate funds for the January disaster and want to ensure there’s a quick response with regards to the June disaster.
