Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation chairperson China Dodovu has called on the national and provincial governments to declare KwaZulu-Natal a disaster area, saying this will ensure that the necessary funds are unlocked to assist flood-ravaged communities in the province.

The provincial executive council and political parties have also called for a declaration of a State of Disaster following damaging storms.

The province has been hit by devastating floods, which have caused havoc and claimed 60 lives.

The KZN government reported that 45 people died in Durban, while more than 14 others were killed in Ndwedwe and KwaDukuza.

Dodovu noted the loss of life, the destruction of property and livelihoods, and the general impact the storms have had on access to essential services such as water and sanitation.

“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 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,” he said.

Dodovu also emphasised the need for businesses to contribute to the humanitarian efforts to assist the communities they operate in, adding that this gives life to South Africa’s spirit of Ubuntu.

While the chairperson noted and welcomed the many efforts to assist the affected communities, he said there is a need to urgently put in place mitigation strategies to avert the annual recurrence of such disasters.