Media Statement: Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and Recovery Wants North West Province to Receive Funding to Repair Damage

Parliament, Friday, 1 July 2022 - The Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and Recovery yesterday visited the Deelpan community in the Tswaing Local Municipality in the North West Province, to assess the damage caused by the April 2022 flood disaster.

The Deelpan community is living on a wetland situated on agricultural land where people have settled over the years. When the floods came in April, the low-lying areas were more vulnerable and flooded with water. The committee yesterday visited a community where structures are partially or totally submerged in water, making it impossible for humans to live there.

The committee has been in discussions with the Premier, the MEC of Human Settlements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the MEC for Social Development and the Mayor of Tswaing Local Municipality to seek alternative land sites where temporary residential units can be erected. There is a difficulty in that some of the local communities affected by the flooding have resisted moving to a new area where permanent houses can be built.

The committee's mandate is to look at the three provinces affected by the April floods, including KwaZulu-Natal, where most of the damage occurred, the northern parts of the Eastern Cape and the North West.

Yesterday's oversight visit confirmed the importance of visiting the North West because the province is also badly affected in terms of infrastructure and human settlements. The committee was informed by the Premier and the MEC of Human Settlements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs that they estimate that at least R4 billion is required to repair and replace the damaged road infrastructure. It is important for the North West government to gain access to funding from the national government to address the aftermath of the floods.

The committee is concerned about the backlog of service delivery legacy issues that the province included in their presentations, which should not be included in the report on the April disaster. Another concern is the reprioritisation of the funds from departments to deal with the flood disaster, which has had a negative impact on service delivery. That is why the committee believes it is important to expedite access to the funds from the national government to assist provinces.

The committee believes that the oversight visits to the affected areas have given it a fair understanding of the situation. The committee is now more equipped as it plans on engaging with the various cabinet ministers responsible for finance, cooperative governance and traditional affairs, public works and infrastructure, human settlements, water and sanitation, as well as the premiers of the affected provinces in today's meeting.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CO-CHAIRPERSONS OF THE AD HOC JOINT COMMITTEE ON FLOOD DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY, MR CEDRIC FROLICK AND MR JOMO NYAMBI.

For media enquiries, please contact the committee's Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8062
Cell: 081 377 0686
Email: [email protected]

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