The City of Joburg has announced its intention to declare a local state of disaster following devastating rains that damaged infrastructure and cost the city millions.<\/p>\n
Joburg mayor Mpho Palatse said on Monday (19 December) that torrential downpours that included larger than usual hail stones caused damage to property, fauna and flora,and essential infrastructure in the city, particularly roads, traffic lights, buildings, substations, power stations and pipelines.<\/p>\n
Subsequent days of rainfall have put pressure on already damaged infrastructure and continue to affect the lives and livelihoods of the residents of Joburg, she said.<\/p>\n
Due to the extent of the damage, particularly to City Power\u2019s network, the city applied for and was granted a three-day reprieve from load shedding by Eskom, which helped the city address critical power issues.<\/p>\n
However, the current damage to state infrastructure sits at approximately R300 million, she said, and the city expects this figure to increase, as some areas are still under water or inaccessible, therefore making it impossible to conduct an accurate and final assessment.<\/p>\n
“It is in this context that I signed off on a report from the City\u2019s Disaster Management Centre, which has been submitted to the Provincial and National Disaster Management Centres, stating our intention to declare a Local State of Disaster,” the mayor said.<\/p>\n
The declaration of a Local State of Disaster will enable the city to, where necessary, access resources from the provincial and national spheres of government, and accelerate supply chain management processes.<\/p>\n
However, to declare a Local State of Disaster, the city requires concurrence from the provincial and national spheres of government.<\/p>\n
“We, therefore, trust that the detailed report submitted to the relevant authorities will accelerate the declaration of a Local State of Disaster,” the mayor said.<\/p>\n
“We do not want a repeat of a feverish scramble for contracts like we saw during the early Covid-19 years; therefore, the City\u2019s Group Risk and Assurance Services will keep a focused eye on procurement. The Multi-Party Government will not allow the corrupt to sacrifice lives and livelihoods for self-enrichment,” she said.<\/p>\n
Currently, the expenditure for the provision of emergency-disaster relief materials is funded from the Incident Management Fund under Public Safety. This emergency will also require a review and adjustment of the 2022\/23 budget.<\/p>\n
The City of Joburg is also entering into a partnership with the Western Cape Provincial Government to lean on its experience with dealing with disasters, the mayor said.<\/p>\n
City officials will continue to do assessments and cleanups of the city and disaster-hit areas, while repair work will also get underway where possible.<\/p>\n