Frustration at delay in restoration of crucial city services
Days after floods caused death and devastation in KwaZulu-Natal, authorities are facing a second crisis as displaced, hungry and frustrated residents demand humanitarian assistance.
But it seems their demands won’t be met for at least two months because of red tape.
Relentless rain lashed parts of Durban — including Umlazi, Chatsworth and Marianhill — Amanzimtoti and the south coast the past week, causing flash floods and mudslides that claimed the lives of at least 85 people.
In the days that followed, residents counted the cost of their losses and turned to the city for assistance as many were left without water and electricity.
However, frustration reached breaking point on Thursday and Friday, with protesters in Umlazi and Reservoir Hills calling for houses, water and electricity.
According to a report tabled at the city’s executive committee meeting on Friday morning, R60m will be needed to fully restore water and sanitation services in Durban.
The city needs R600m more to address all the damage and destruction caused by the floods. Based on an interim assessment, the city’s housing unit needs almost R330m, the health unit R3m, electricity almost R20m and engineering R248m.
During a visit to a flood-ravaged area in Durban on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the national government had prioritised funds to assist affected families.
“I immediately contacted our Treasury and said: ‘Do we have money to assist our people?’ And they said: ‘President, we have the money.’ So money will be mobilised to assist our people. These are emergency situations that we budget for, so resources will be mobilised in the biggest way so that our people who are in need are assisted,” he said.
But municipal officials will have to cut through red tape to get the funds. The city first has to apply to the National Treasury for a disaster to be declared.
It could dip into its R4.1bn savings to get a head-start on the repairs, but even with using section 36 of the municipal supply chain management regulations, which allows for the breach of regular tender processes under certain conditions, it could be months before repairs begin.
DA executive committee member Heinz de Boer said: “It could be a minimum of three months before we see some movement, because even with section 36, there would still need to be time to award the tender.”
The eThekwini municipality confirmed that funds to rehabilitate infrastructure will be claimed on the insurance the city carries, and some money will come from its internal reserves.
The human settlements unit will rehabilitate and construct damaged low-cost housing, community residential units, informal settlements and transit facilities by using existing funding, and will seek additional funding from the provincial and national governments.
Mayor Zandile Gumede said: “The eThekwini municipality has provided temporary shelters to house displaced families in 11 community halls. While the storm has left a trail of destruction, we are working around the clock to alleviate the impact of this disaster on our communities and to bring the lives of those affected back to normality as mop-up operations continue.”
But in Chatsworth, south of Durban, at least 2,000 residents are willing to go as far as the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands to have their water supply restored after it was disrupted by the torrential downpour and a strike by the workers in the water & sanitation department.
“We have approached councillors and they are totally aloof … We have resorted to buying bottled water for bathing,” said community member Rajen Reddy. “Residents have pitched in so we can get a private tanker to give us water.”
Speaking on behalf of the Silverglen community, Thando Dlomo said they had given the municipality an ultimatum to restore the water supply or residents will go to court this week.
“If the supply is not restored we have resolved that all affected by this and other storm-related issues will be mobilised for a class action lawsuit against the local government,” said Dlomo.