Officials from the Department of Human Settlements have confirmed to the Portfolio Committee in Parliament that no funds, other than existing annual grants, will be allocated to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) for housing related flood relief. This follows in excess of 14 000 homes having been damaged and destroyed in the Province during the floods that occurred in early April.
The City of eThekwini Municipality has refuted claims that officials stole humanitarian relief meant to be distributed to communities ravaged by last week’s floods.
With more than 300 lives lost and 40 723 people affected as a result of the heavy downpours and floods in KwaZulu-Natal, the eThekweni Municipality says it is prepared as more rainfall is expected in the province at the weekend. "In terms of the readiness for the weekend, we can perhaps say that we are ready, but it also depends on the magnitude of floods that come.