Jul 2022 1st Edition

More funding for disaster relief

Over R3.6 million has been donated through a dedicated bank account opened by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government towards the rebuilding process following the floods.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, recently said as at 1 June 2022, the donor account had R3 625 960 in total, with R100 000 specifically earmarked for the Department of Health.

“An amount of R3 million is set aside for education, mainly the fixing of four schools, while R500 000 from the government of Qatar will be allocated to the Department of Social Development.

“We wish to acknowledge the generous donations we have received from major donors such as the government of the United Arab Emirates, Spirit Ambassadors International Church and Sasol.

Premier Zikalala added that all provincial government departments are reprioritising their budgets in order to aid the funding of the recovery process.

“In aggregate terms, our provincial departments are planning to reprioritise R3.652 billion towards the disaster, with these funds coming mainly from conditional grants under the Departments of Transport and Human Settlements.”

He also said non- infrastructure related funding including support to business is coming from [the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs.

The Premier noted that the grant framework for emergency funding does not allow the release of funding for properties that are insured.

He said while most municipalities have insurance cover, their covers are not sufficient and comprehensive enough for the magnitude of the disaster experienced by the province.

“The implications are that if government applies the existing principles of the grant framework, municipalities will not be able to adequately fix all the damage that has been incurred.”

He added that it is because of this background that government is looking at reviewing laws that are in line with disasters. – SAnews.gov.za

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