JOHANNESBURG - The City of Johannesburg said on Friday it was still waiting on national and provincial government to respond to its application for disaster housing assistance for Soweto residents, 10 months after the Protea Glen disaster.
A tornado hit Joburg south on 30 December 2017, leaving a trail of destruction and demolishing hundreds of houses in areas such as Lawley, Ennerdale, Protea, Snake Park, Braamfischerville, Slovoville, Doornkop, Meadowlands, Fleurhof and Lufhereng.
The city was able to give immediate disaster relief to residents, but has been waiting for the national and provincial departments of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) and human settlements to respond to its application for the area to be declared a disaster area so that the emergency housing grant and more funds can be allocated for relief.
Public Safety MMC Michael Sun said it was with regret that affected residents were still waiting for the emergency housing grant to be approved by the Gauteng provincial government as it will be a year since the disaster in two months time.
"Despite all the effort, we only managed to solicit a letter on the 10 October from the national department of human settlement stating that the city's application is still been processed. I am stunned by this lack of response and can only say that the government as a whole has failed our forgotten people," Sun said.
According to the the Disaster Management Act, national, provincial and local organs of state may financially contribute to post-disaster recoveries and rehabilitation.
Sun said the the city has further made an amount of R8 million available in its 2017/18 financial year budget adjustment for post disaster relief.