The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to unlock R2 billion that the eThekwini Municipality needs to deal with infrastructure challenges brought about by last year’s devastating floods.
Ramaphosa attended the final day of the party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting on Monday, and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said they had had open and frank discussions with him on various issues facing the province and the country.
Yesterday Mtolo said that analysis conducted by the municipality on last year’s floods found that the metro needed at least R5bn to fix and upgrade its infrastructure.
“They must raise that money but we are glad we have raised the issue with the president, that he must find a way of injecting R2bn into eThekwini as quickly as possible, and he said he will speak to (Finance) Minister (Enoch) Godongwana and speak to Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, head of the Investment and Infrastructure Office in the Presidency.
“I think we will take it from there, but I think we are doing a good job in eThekwini,” he said.
Mtolo said while the metro had challenges like all spheres of government, its current poor state was as a result of the flood damage.
He said the party had confidence in mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and the city’s executive committee.
He said historically the metro had rolled out massive infrastructure projects to areas that did not have infrastructure, while existing infrastructure started to deteriorate.
“We have not fully explained the impact of the floods. A sewage treatment plant was wiped away in oThongathi but we applaud eThekwini for sorting out that problem.
“In another area, a 1.5km sewage pipe was damaged and this was a huge undertaking,” he said.
Mtolo said the PEC had also asked Kaunda to convene imbizos with affected communities, particularly in the south, in uMlazi and kwaMakhutha, to explain to people that the challenges are being dealt with and how long it will take to be fixed.
“They must be aware that the ANC is not just standing there and doing nothing, a lot of investment has been done to rehabilitate the damaged pipe in that area,” Mtolo said.
He said the relocation of families affected by the floods from mass-care centres by the national department, provincial department and the municipality was being supported by NGOs, religious and traditional leaders.
“Where there are areas of concern by some families, we have called on ANC councillors to be the point of contact and alert leadership,” he said.
Mtolo said they understood the impatience of residents who are often subjected to power outages and water supply interruptions in areas such as uMlazi, Folweni, kwaMakhutha, Phoenix, Inanda and others.
“Everything is being done to turn around the situation,” he said.
Mtolo said the official recommissioning of Aqueduct 1 and the opening of Reservoir 3 at Umgeni’s Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant was a welcome relief and would boost water supply.
“As the ANC, we commit to strengthen an integrated approach involving other spheres of government in order to accelerate effective and solid service delivery of water,” Mtolo said.