President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, has postponed his visit to the oil-rich kingdom to focus on the government’s intervention after floods left a trail of destruction in KwaZulu-Natal last week.
The presidency said the postponement allows Ramaphosa to meet ministers to determine how the different spheres of the government, with civil society organisations and communities, respond to the crisis.
By Monday, the floods had claimed 443 lives and destroyed 4,000 homes, with critical logistics networks severely affected. The Durban port, one of the busiest in Africa, was closed and while some operations have resumed, the container terminal reportedly remained largely inaccessible.
The National Treasury has committed R1bn to assist those affected by the floods.
“The loss of nearly 400 lives and thousands of homes, as well as the economic impact and the destruction of infrastructure, calls for all hands on deck,” Ramaphosa said in a statement on Sunday.
“As government, we are standing by the people of KwaZulu-Natal [KZN] through the provision of social and material support to thousands of households and a vast number of businesses that have been affected by this catastrophe.”
The government appreciated the solidarity and generosity with which “people and organisations across the country have come to the assistance of those whose lives have been so tragically disrupted by the floods”, he said.
“We have also been touched by the expressions of concern and solidarity, and offers of assistance expressed by many countries around the world,” said Ramaphosa, who has declared KZN a state of disaster.
More than 100 search and rescue members from various police and emergency units across the country have been deployed to the province.
Meanwhile, power utility Eskom, which implemented stage 2 load-shedding last week after deterioration in generation capacity, has warned of the possibility of rolling blackouts this week, saying “any further deterioration in generation capacity may require further load-shedding”.
On Tuesday the select committee on finance in the National Council of Provinces will be briefed by the financial sector conduct authority on its quarterly report.
In the National Assembly, the portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture will be briefed by the auditor-general on the 2021/2022 audit outcomes of the department of sport, arts and culture and its entities.
The committee will also be briefed by Athletics SA on its 2022/2023 annual performance plan, its progress report on the return to sport since the Covid-19 lockdown, and preparations for the Commonwealth Games, among other issues.
On Wednesday, parliament’s portfolio committee on health will be briefed by the Medical Research Council, and the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority on their respective annual performance plans and budgets for 2022/2023 financial year.
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