KZN flood recovery efforts to cost no less than R25 billion

Concerns have been raised that the flood disaster relief and recovery in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is going to cost at least R25 billion.

Government officials briefed Parliament’s ad-hoc joint committee on flood disaster relief and recovery on Monday.

The province experienced more rains on Saturday, following last month’s devastating floods which claimed over 440 lives and left a trail of destruction.

National Council of Provinces (NCOP) MP Tim Brauteseth said the recovery is going to cost a lot more than the R1 billion which was allocated – and yet to be released – by Treasury as a relief effort in the wake of the floods.

“The reality is that the recovery is going to cost a lot more than that chairperson, probably in the region of R17 billion, that’s the estimate, and R25 billion if private properties are included.”

Brauteseth said there has also been “confusion” about where this money will come from.

He said there must be a full disclosure to the South African public about the funding, which will help restore the trust deficit once there is a firm commitment from Cabinet.

“[KZN] certainly doesn’t have that money, I raised this in the NCOP yesterday. The deputy president yesterday made an executive undertaking that the shortfall will be covered by the government. So, just a programme of work needs to cover where the additional funding is going to come from.”

“We literally cannot let the KZN province and the Eastern Cape province and the municipalities involved hanging out to dry. We need to find funds from the contingency fund or wherever they can, from the national side to assist in this recovery because all the good intentions will come to nothing if we don’t have the funding available to actually get it right,” said Brauteseth.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP and committee member Ntombovuyo Veronica Mente said the success of Parliament’s ad-hoc joint committee on flood disaster relief and recovery relies on all members agreeing to have the best interests for the people affected by the floods.

Earlier the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance Department said that the 48 people still missing after the deadly floods were now presumed dead.

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