Parly COGTA committee wants explanation why funds only allocated to fix WC flood-damaged infrastructure

CAPE TOWN - Parliament’s Cooperative Governance committee wants the National Treasury to explain why it has only allocated funds to the Western Cape to fix infrastructure damaged by floods in 2024.  

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) said it has assisted all affected provinces to compile their submissions for funding and believes there has been “overreach” by the fiscus in rejecting applications from other provinces.  

Committee chairperson Zweli Mkhize said the disparity in helping provinces to repair and mitigate against future occurrences cannot be tolerated.  

Probing why provinces affected by disasters in 2024 have not received funds to repair the damage, the COGTA said their submissions are not meeting Treasury requirements.  

Committee chairperson Zweli Mkhize has questioned whether the department is failing provinces in compiling these submissions or whether provinces cannot do so.  

“We cannot expect that there should be a situation where there is a whimsical allocation of resources to provinces that have the same problem, and there’s no sense of trying to create a sense of justice.”  

Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said he was surprised that only one province received disaster funding.  

“If we leave it at the discretion of the Treasury, who are not on the ground, there shall be no equity for a long time.”  

Provinces that have recently been impacted by flooding and where a state of disaster has been declared are yet to make submissions for funding.