Kits for flood and fire building victims are funded by national govt, clarifies Hill-Lewis

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says kits for flood and fire building victims are not funded by the municipality but by the national emergency housing grant.

The mayor sought to clarify the misconceptions about who has the power over the money meant to buy building kits for fire and flood victims.

Following recent devastating fires and floods in Cape Town, affected residents have called on the municipality to help them with building materials.

However, Hill-Lewis said since a few years ago funds for kits were centralised and controlled nationally.

He added that before funds can be released, municipalities must apply to the national Human Settlements Department first, to access the emergency housing grant.

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"We have recently been in a conversation with them to say we know these things happen with depressing regularity each year, unfortunately. It is the Cape of storms and it's called that for a good reason.

"So can we proactively make applications to the emergency housing grant and keep these things in a storeroom or a warehouse, and then we can use them when these incidents happen rather than applying each time."

Hill-Lewis said the city may soon be able to supply the kits again.

"They have very recently, I mean literally in the last three to four weeks, they have agreed that we can do that. So, I think they will actually be making a return to the scene sometime shortly, but it's not the case that the city discontinued those."