Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has announced a significant financial commitment of R1.44 billion from the R11 billion requested to assist municipalities impacted by recent natural disasters.
The funds, dispersed between February and March 2025, aim to address infrastructure damage caused by floods, heat waves, and severe weather events across multiple provinces.
The grant allocation covers 60 municipalities and provincial sector departments across five provinces, including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Free State, targeting sectors such as infrastructure repair, education, health and agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Minister announced that the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) has officially classified recent weather events as a national disaster, enabling prompt intervention and support for affected communities.
“As we face the growing challenges posed by natural hazards such as floods, heat waves, fires and droughts, it is crucial to recognise the substantial threats these events pose to our communities, to our infrastructure, as well as to our economy.
“While climate change has exacerbated some of these risks, we also confront challenges that stem from unsustainable practices and inadequate planning,” the Minister said on Monday at a media briefing.
He believed that acknowledging these factors allowed government to pursue proactive measures and solutions that can lessen future risks.
The country has been experiencing significant weather events, including heavy rains, floods, thunderstorms and strong winds since the beginning of 2025.
The Minister is of the view that this calls for urgent collaborative action and resilience-building within communities on behalf of the government and South Africans.
Hlabisa also took the time to offer his condolences to the families and loved ones of the 40 people who have lost their lives since the December holidays.
“We continue to commit our efforts to build resilience and reduce the risk of future disasters so that no more lives are needlessly lost.”
He assured citizens that the State was now turning its attention to recovery and improving preparedness for future challenges by learning through developing stronger systems and strategies that will safeguard citizens and enhance collective resilience.
Hlabisa emphasised the importance of accountability, warning that any mismanagement or diversion of funds will face strict consequences.
“I’m speaking about the funds amounting to R1.44 billion already in the accounts of our municipalities, but what we notice in some of our municipalities is that the poor infrastructure, planning and implementation become a serious factor.
“The poor workmanship is always noted once the money has been spent, diversion from the original allocation. When money was allocated for a bridge, a municipality decides to use the money for salaries, or when the money was allocated for 3 kilometres, the municipality decided to spend the money on 1 kilometre,” he explained.
However, he said government will do whatever it takes to ensure that they follow these monies that have been allocated and have given municipalities up until August this year to use the allocated funds.
“The allocation of disaster response and recovery grants is a testament to our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our communities and rebuilding our nation as we navigate these challenging times. We must work together, leveraging our collective strengths and resources to ensure a resilient and prosperous future for all people of South Africa,” he concluded.
– SAnews.gov.za