The Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation says mitigation strategies must be put in place to avert the annual recurrence of disasters, as seen in KwaZulu-Natal.
“There is a need for improved town planning and building processes to ensure that communities reside in areas that are relatively safe from mudslides,” committee chairperson, China Dodovu, said.
While commending the many efforts to assist the communities affected by floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Dodovu has noted with despair the loss of life, destruction of property and livelihoods, and the general impact the storms have had on access to essential services, such as water and sanitation.
He called on the national and provincial government to move with speed to declare KwaZulu-Natal a disaster area.
“We hope the local, provincial and national government will move with speed, in the spirit of cooperative governance, as encapsulated in the Constitution, to initiate the process to unlock the necessary funding to assist the people of KZN.
“We are also calling for the speedy repair of critical infrastructure to ensure that the people receive water and sanitation in the affected areas,” Dodovu said.
He urged business to contribute to the humanitarian efforts to assist the communities in which they operate, saying this would be the embodiment of ubuntu.
“At the centre of these calls is the need to ensure the safety of communities, and also to ensure that economic recovery – which is essential for the sustenance of livelihoods in the affected areas – is unlocked,” Dodovu said. – SAnews.gov.za
