The tragic impact of severe weather incidents in KwaZulu-Natal, which resulted in over 30 deaths and affected more than 10 000 residents between December 2024 and March 2025, has prompted a crucial intervention by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
KZN Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi has expressed gratitude following the allocation of R227 700 000 to municipalities within the province grappling with the aftermath of these disasters.
The allocation will enhance ongoing efforts to assist affected communities and restore infrastructure.
The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), through National Cogta, disbursed the majority of these funds between February and March 2025.
Buthelezi believes Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa’s intervention through this financial support will enable municipalities and departments to promptly initiate projects aimed at supporting affected communities. These projects include road repairs, electricity restoration, water and sewer infrastructure and improving stormwater management systems.
“These funds, provided through the Disaster Response Grant, will be crucial in delivering necessary aid to those impacted by these events and in addressing the resultant challenges within our communities,” Buthelezi said.
He emphasised that the resources must be used cautiously and transparently to effectively support those most affected. He vowed to ensure that the department oversees and guarantees that the funds are used as intended.
The following municipalities have been allocated the Disaster Response Grant:
When allocating disaster response and recovery grants, Cogta Minister Hlabisa said that through the NDMC, Cogta has for the financial year 2024/25 months of February and March 2025 already disbursed an amount of R1.444 billion to ensure immediate relief and reconstruction in the most affected areas.
These funds will support a wide range of urgent interventions – from repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring basic services to supporting schools, clinics, and local economies.
Hlabisa broke down the R1.444bn disbursed to all municipalities and provincial sector departments as follows:
- The Provincial Disaster Response Grant Allocation was transferred on February 6, 2025, to provincial departments to fix provincially damaged infrastructure. The provinces benefiting from this allocation included the Eastern Cape, KZN, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo, totaling R149 million.
- The Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant was transferred on March 5, 2025, to the provinces of Limpopo, Eastern Cape, KZN and Mpumalanga for the repair of damaged infrastructure, totaling R231 million.
- Another Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant was transferred on March 18, 2025, to the affected municipalities in the Free State, KZN, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, amounting to R669 million.
- For the provincial unavoidable and unforeseeable (U&U) allocation in 2025, the National Disaster Management Centre, in collaboration with affected provinces, prepared a request to the National Treasury for additional funding. The Western Cape received an initial allocation of R947 million in February 2025, with other provinces being considered.
- The department submitted the applications for the unavoidable and unforeseeable (U&U) allocation in 2024 for the following provinces: Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Western Cape, KZN and Eastern Cape provinces. The Western Cape has been allocated R947 million and other provinces are being considered. The allocated funds are to be used within 12 months.
- Disaster Response Grant was allocated to the affected municipalities for the incidents which happened around December 2024 and January 2025, and the allocations were made on March 24, 2025 (KZN: R76 million, Mpumalanga: R11 million and Free State: R10 million)
“Currently, we are conducting an assessment of the recent classified national disaster. The exact costs are not yet determined, as evaluations are ongoing due to continuous rainfall affecting many regions. We anticipate that the assessment will be completed by the end of April 2025. Following this assessment and verification process, we will allocate funding to support the affected departments and municipalities in the 2025/26 financial year,” Hlabisa said.