Editor – In an astounding reply to my written question, the Minister of Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs has informed me that of the R131.36 million made available for disaster relief for the December 2012 hailstorm, not a cent was meant for repairs to damaged houses.
Instead, it was meant for low water crossings and bridges as far away from Ladysmith as Baldaskraal, as well as for repairs to the road from Madevu Store to Ingula river and the main road to the Ingula river.
Does anyone accept that the hailstorm actually damaged roads and bridges from Colenso to Ngula and Baldaskraal?
The minister stated that the R131.36 million was paid to Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality and that an additional amount of R8.49 million was also paid to the municipality, apparently to use at its discretion.
This R8.49 million may have been the money that seems to have been used to repair carefully selected houses.
As the municipality has consistently ignored my letters that request details of the money received from the national and provincial governments, as well as what it was used for, we are forced to conclude that the municipality has apparently used most of the money for purposes not connected with the storm.
That could be why there are so many houses that have not been repaired and still have gaping holes in their roofs.
So many of the poor people whose damaged houses have still not been repaired have now given up hope of ever getting any help from the ANC municipality.
Many houses still have tarps…
Click to receive news links viaWhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
