The provincial government is still waiting for the National Disaster Management Agency to respond on the estimated budget needed to repair the recent flood damage.

The spokesperson for the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Lindiwe Msibi, said they are expecting a response soon from National Treasury.

“The province has done all the assessments and submitted the relevant documents; now it is time to await a response and make the funds available. After that, we will start with the processes of securing service providers,” she said.

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The cost of infrastructure damages is estimated to be R2.3b, which includes, among other things:
• Agricultural infrastructure
• Community facilities (libraries, museums and cultural villages)
• Nature reserves
• Houses
• Educational facilities
• Water and sanitation
• Health facilities
• Roads/bridges/storm water across the three districts
• Electricity

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Msibi did not disclose how much each project would cost, however, all disaster-damaged infrastructures have been prioritised, with water-damaged infrastructure topping the list. The main aim is to make sure that the entire damaged infrastructure is properly repaired.

It is not possible to provide a precise timeframe on how long it would take to rebuild everything, but Msibi made it clear that quality infrastructure to withstand storms and floods is necessary as cheap labour is just a waste of government resources.
She also said the Ehlanzeni District Municipality was the hardest-hit district, particularly the Nkomazi Local Municipality.