DURBAN - The city of Durban lost nearly R100 million in revenue owing to the floods that ravaged parts of KwaZulu-Natal, especially the eThekwini Metro, in April.
This was revealed by eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda when addressing a full council this week, where he indicated that the city was still counting the costs from the floods.
“Since the floods occurred during the week of Good Friday, the city lost about 30 000 visitors with a total loss of about R75m to the GDP,” Kaunda told councillors.
He added that based on the preliminary data from a survey conducted by the Economic Development Unit, the most affected sectors of the city’s economy were:
- Manufacturing with estimated damage of R431m,
- Agriculture with estimated damage of R12.6m
- Construction with estimated damage of R18m
- Wholesale and Retail with estimated damage of R46m
- Warehousing and Logistics with estimated damage of R33m.
He pointed out that the city had sought assistance from other spheres of government as the damage had been immense.
“We are currently engaging the provincial and national government on what support can be provided to all affected businesses, including SMMEs”, the mayor continued.
Despite the setback from the floods, Kaunda said they were encouraged by the recent developments, including the successful hosting of the Africa Travel Indaba, which was attended by over 37 00 delegates.
According to the mayor, hosting the event demonstrated the city’s resilience and underlined eThekwini’s status as the city destination of choice for the international buyers.
The mayor also applauded the progress made in restoring municipal services to all areas that were affected by the floods, assuring councillors that every corner of the municipality would be attended to.
“The municipality appeals for patience as it works to fully restore services. We also appeal for unhindered access for water tankers and for our staff to effect repairs,” Kaunda concluded.
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