Govt allocates R1.7bn to address potential disasters over next 3 years
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said these funds will enable government to respond swiftly to climate-related emergencies.
Severe rains have brought down walls and damaged property in and around Durban. Picture: Nhlanhla Mabaso/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Government has allocated R1.7 billion to address potential disasters over the next three years.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said these funds would enable government to respond swiftly to climate-related emergencies.
This financing strategy would provide municipalities with access to various funding options for disaster management.
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Godongwana said an additional R4 billion had been provisionally set aside to tackle the backlog in recovery efforts from past disasters.
"The incentives in our current disaster management system are skewed towards relief and rehabilitation, when mitigation and readiness to minimise damage is the most cost-effective response.
"Our municipalities stand at the frontline of disaster response yet they are hamstrung by aging infrastructure, bureaucratic fragmentation, and limited access to emergency funds. The priority is to reduce the administrative burden to access emergency funds. Every hour of delay costs lives and livelihoods."