Treasury is not refusing to issue funds to fix KZN after floods

The government has denied allegations by the DA that the Treasury is refusing to release funds allocated for rebuilding parts of KwaZulu-Natal destroyed by floods in April. 

Spokesperson Phumla Williams said the allegations were malicious and work was under way by the government to help communities rebuild.

Williams said the government allocated relief in a phased approach, with the first being immediate humanitarian relief and the second phase involving reconstruction and repair. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa and finance minister Enoch Godongwana disclosed in April that R1bn had been set aside to help rebuild homes and infrastructure destroyed by torrential rains in the province. 

In its media briefing earlier this week, the DA said funds were no longer coming and affected municipalities would have to reprioritise their budgets to rebuild.

Williams, however, said a process needed to be followed before the funds could be released.

“The process includes provinces and municipalities making applications for these funds to the National Disaster Management Centre and department of human settlements who, after processing them, submit them to the Treasury. The funds are available shortly after the Treasury receives and processes an application.”

She assured South Africans no-one would be left behind in the process of rebuilding.

“It has been just over a month since heavy flooding wreaked havoc across parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West. In all these provinces, the government and all stakeholders have been hard at work to recover from these tragic events. The government is mobilising all available resources and undertaking every effort to ensure that, as we rebuild, no-one is left behind,” said Williams.

TimesLIVE