SA cannot recover fully till KZN is back on track – Ramaphosa

‘Restoration of services after floods, Covid-19 going well’

The economic reconstruction and recovery under way across the country in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic cannot succeed without the swift, comprehensive and sustainable recovery of the economy of KwaZulu-Natal.

That is why the government is firmly committed to giving the business community in KwaZulu-Natal all the necessary support, resources and technical capacity to recover from the recent catastrophic floods, President Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday.

He was addressing members of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the disaster proved “we are not as ready to deal with natural disasters”. “The collective state of readiness for natural disasters has to be drastically improved, and disaster risk assessments by all provinces have to be regular and ongoing.”

There will now be a clear expectation that municipalities, provinces and departments should develop, update, review and submit their disaster management and contingency plans to the National Disaster Management Council, he said.

Before travelling to Durban, he met with the respective ministers and officials to receive reports on progress made in the multi-sectoral flood response and recovery plan. “Declaring the floods as a national state of disaster has enabled us to mobilise more resources, capabilities and technical expertise within the necessarily time frames. As business, your concerns and challenges are very specific.

“Damage to key economic infrastructure such as roads, energy transmission and distribution, water and sanitation facilities and the port of Durban has had – and continues to have – a dire impact on your operations.”

Ramaphosa said they were keenly aware that the province’s economy was still struggling to recover from last July’s unrest and the impact of a global pandemic that is now in its third year.

Sectors that power the provincial economy such as manufacturing, FMCG, retail and wholesale, distribution, warehousing and freight have been particularly hardhit by these floods.

Given the importance of the Port of Durban to the national and continental economy, restoring operations and rehabilitating damaged port and associated infrastructure has been a priority.

This includes terminal clearing, rail line water draining and reopening, stormwater jetting and the repair of sea walls.

“We have been advised that the Transnet National Ports Authority has so far cleared more than 340 cubic metres of debris from the harbour.”

A number of road repair projects have been identified with an immediate focus on the N2 and N3 highways and the necessary systems are being put in place, so repairs are not delayed and proceed as quickly as possible.

Ramaphosa said it was encouraging that the restoration of services is proceeding well. Eskom has been assisting municipalities with fault detection and repairs and damage assessments.

He conceded that despite the progress, challenges remain.