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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) today calls on Premier Sihle Zikalala and his CoGTA MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, to immediately commence with the process of having the province declared a state of disaster. This as torrential rains continue to cause wide-spread destruction and loss of life.

While disaster management in the province is on high alert, it is regrettably no secret that many of KZN’s municipalities have limited resources and that disaster management in many towns are just not up to this latest challenge.

Given the current conditions, the DA urges the Premier to recommend to the national disaster centre that KZN be declared a disaster zone. This will allow for, amongst others;

• A centralised disaster management system, with SAPS, Metro and other emergency services working from a centralised point to ensure better co-ordination on the ground
• The immediate release of funding, not only for the extensive repair work that is going to be needed but also to assist those citizens who require emergency relief
• The President to deploy the SANDF and other national agencies to assist and;
• Assistance to be requested from other provinces when it comes to emergency services or other areas that need help.

There can be little doubt that the situation this week has been worsened by poor service delivery in many municipalities. This includes the failure to keep storm water drains cleared, maintain roads and even ensure proper street lighting to help drivers in these difficult conditions.

The tragedy is that these areas had been prioritised, much of the damage we are seeing may have been minimised. Instead, years of neglect and incompetence are threatening the property and lives of our citizens.

Today, the DA calls on KZN CoGTA MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, and his Department to take all proactive steps possible and provide on-the-ground assistance to local municipalities. They must also roll up their sleeves and provide the necessary support now to ensure the safety of our citizens.

We will also be calling on the MEC to conduct a full audit on the level of basic service delivery within municipalities and to take real action. As the world experiences climate change, these types of extreme weather conditions will become the norm.

KZN’s provincial government needs to show that it is a caring government by becoming more pro-active in preparing for such disasters.

Issued by DA KZN Spokesperson on CoGTA, Martin Meyer, MPL