Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille says they will release hundreds of land parcels in KwaZulu-Natal for the resettlement of those who were displaced by the recent floods.
Thousands of people have been displaced after their houses were damaged or destroyed in the floods that affected the province.
De Lille’s comments come after President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced R1 billion in relief measures and sent thousands of troops.
The minister also said she would visit KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.
This will also be part of the programme to hand over bridges that have been repaired after they were damaged.
There are a number of areas that remained inaccessible after bridges collapsed.
De Lille said during the floods, the government buildings were not spared as some were also damaged.
“On the disaster in KZN, as the department, we submit a weekly report to the National Disaster Management Centre in Pretoria. But from the department of public works and infrastructure, 49 state-owned buildings were damaged. We have put together 108 internal and external built environment professionals to help us with the assessment, and the process for restoration has started. Also, we have released 258 parcels of land for resettlement of communities from low-lying flood areas, and the province of KZN has released 193 land parcels. We are also working on rural bridges. We have targeted 18 rural bridges for this financial year. We have identified another six that will be funded by the province of KZN. All in all we have received another 28 bridges from municipalities that need to be repaired,” said De Lille.
She added that they were working as fast as they could with the army on some of the repair projects.
This would allow a number of bridges to be repaired and connect communities that have been cut off by the floods.
Current Affairs