Durban — The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has approved R128 million for humanitarian support in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces following the recent floods that devastated coastal communities.
The R128m will serve vulnerable communities, delivering much-needed support in water and sanitation services, adequate temporary housing and much-needed road infrastructure to enable mobility. Key to the funding is the drive to help kickstart and amplify social and human activity, ensuring that citizens in these affected areas rebuild their livelihoods.
The DBSA said that in KZN, the support would include replacement housing for displaced and vulnerable families, provision of clean water through the sinking of boreholes, water treatment packages and water tankers, all worth over R79 million.
In the Eastern Cape, the support will include water infrastructure, the provision of clean water, road infrastructure and replacement homes, all worth over R49 million.
As disaster relief is urgently needed in KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape, humanitarian support will be rolled out immediately to start providing relief to the most affected communities.
The DBSA said taking the lead in implementing the humanitarian intervention is the bank’s Infrastructure Delivery Division. Working with them will be various teams of infrastructure development experts within the bank providing engineering, project management, quantity surveying and supply chain management support. Funding and payment approvals will be managed in house and paid according to completed milestones.
DBSA chief executive Patrick Dlamini said: “We witnessed the devastation in the two provinces and the follow-on impact to people’s lives of a complete stop to social and economic activity. We are hoping to help kickstart the rebuilding of our fellow citizens’ lives, complementing the government's ongoing disaster relief activities. The funding is earmarked to help increase access to basic services such as clean water, electricity, community mobility, housing for vulnerable households headed by the elderly, children and differently abled people.”
Earlier this month, KZN premier Sihle Zikalala said that as of June 1, their donor account had R3 625 960 in total, with R100 000 specifically earmarked by the donor for the Department of Health.
“An amount of R3 million is set aside for education, mainly the fixing of four schools, while R500 000 from the government of Qatar will be allocated to the Department of Social Development. We wish to acknowledge the generous donations we have received from major donors such as the government of the United Arab Emirates, Spirit Ambassadors International Church and Sasol. Harmony Gold this week pledged an amount to the tune of R600 000, which is not yet in the donor account, as well as relief suppliers donated by Harmony Gold employees in solidarity with the flood victims,” Zikalala said.
Daily News