The City of Johannesburg said yesterday that it was still awaiting national and provincial government response to its application for disaster housing assistance for Soweto residents, 10 months after the Protea Glen storm.
A tornado hit Joburg south on December 30 last year, 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 co-operative governance and traditional affairs 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 mayoral committee member Michael Sun said it was regretful that affected residents were still waiting for the emergency housing grant to be approved by the Gauteng provincial government as it would be a year since the disaster in a month’s time.
“Despite all the effort, we only managed to solicit a letter on October 10 from the national Department of Human Settlements stating that the city’s application is still been processed. I am stunned by this lack of response and can only say the government has failed our forgotten people,” Sun said.
According to the Disaster Management Act, national, provincial and local organs of state may financially contribute to post-disaster recoveries and rehabilitation.
Sun said the city had further made an amount of R8million available in its 2017/18 financial year budget adjustment for post-disaster relief.