Africa-Press – South-Africa. Disputing Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s comments that there were no applications for access to flood relief funds and resources, eThekwini Deputy Mayor Philani Mavundla said the national government was playing games.
Mavundla told News24 on Thursday:
eThekwini was hit the hardest by recent flooding in the province, with about 350 people dead, many people missing and billions in infrastructure damage.
Godongwana told the Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Flood Disaster Relief on Wednesday that there was R1 billion available for relief after the floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in April, but that the money had still not been accessed.
Clarity sought on R1bn flood disaster relief funds allocated for KZN, Eastern Cape
The money is in the form of grants and there are specific conditions attached to it.
Various national departments need to request the money from National Treasury.
Committee co-chairperson, China Dodovu, said it was “unacceptable” that departments did not coordinate at a national level.
But Mavundla said the national government was playing blame games while people were still suffering.
“There is a blame game, which is unfortunately wrong, because they have every bit of information we have submitted to Treasury, human settlements, as well as national cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta).”
He added:
Mavundla added that he was disappointed in the national government and the finance minister.
“We can go on record to say we are disturbed and disappointed in the way the SA government is dealing with the people of KZN and eThekwini, in particular.
“If the finance minister turns around and says South Africans, we cannot fill in application forms being a metro with an estimated four million people, it means we are the wrong people to be in power. That is what it is telling you.”
He spoke about the relief work the City did.
“As a municipality, we have already started repairs, providing the people of Tongaat with water. We have been doing work in Durban South out of the money allocated for other activities in the city.
“National government is busy playing the games. We feel we must be told what we are getting or not getting. We just passed a City budget and reprioritised where we are supposed to. People are still languishing in halls and it is clear that national government does not care.”
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