There will be no room for corruption.
This was President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bold promise to sceptical South Africans fearing that the flood relief funds to be made available to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape will be stolen.
“There can be no room for corruption, there can be no room for mismanagement, for fraud of any sort,” Ramaphosa said during his address to the nation last night.
He said various stakeholders will now be part of an oversight structure that will ensure all funds are properly are accounted for and that the state receives value for money.
“These stakeholders include the office of the Auditor-General, business representatives, religious sector, labour, community-based organisations as well as professional bodies such as engineers and accountants,” he said
He said the government will respond to the floods which have killed more than 400 people in three phases with focus on immediate humanitarian relief, ensuring all affected people are safe and basic needs met.
Flood relief funds will be used prudently, says Zikalala as KZN death toll passes 400
This will be followed by the stabilisation and recovery, rehousing people and restoring services and third reconstruction and rebuilding of infrastructure.
“I have authorised the SANDF (SA Defence Force) to bring in more personnel, water storage and purification supplies and engineering team to assist with electricity as well as water restoration,” Ramaphosa said.
He said than 40, 000 people displaced by the floods, which calls for a massive relief effort.
Ramaphosa also said that he has sked the Solidarity Fund to assist with the humanitarian aid.
The president also declared a national state of disaster after the damage caused by floods in the Eastern Cape. He said weather forecasts also showed that the North West and the Free State provinces may also be affected by bad weather.
KwaZulu-Natal had already been declared a provincial state of disaster area however Ramaphosa said this was “inadequate to deal with the scale of the emergency and the required reconstruction and rehabilitation measures and responses.”
“The significance of the port of Durban and the related infrastructure for the effective operation of the country’s economy means that this disaster has implications far beyond the province of KwaZulu-Natal,” Ramaphosa said.
He said the heavy rains and flooding in the Eastern Cape meant the province needed emergency interventions as well.
He said this will help with regards to putting together the necessary resources and an effective response to the disaster across all spheres of government.
The catastrophic floods have damages schools, roads, clinics and government buildings mainly in KwaZulu-Natal.
Ramaphosa’s address followed a special cabinet meeting on Sunday where government assessed the damage in the aftermath of flooding in the two provinces where a decision to place the country under the national state of disaster was taken.