KDM receives R1,2 billion disaster grant funding

Senior traffic cop hit by car

National Treasury has agreed to grant KwaDukuza Municipality, through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) R1.2 billion that the municipality had applied for to repair the damages caused by floods.

This was announced by Mayor Lindile Nhaca during a recent Council meeting. Nhaca, while tabling the draft Budget for the 2023/23 financial year, pointed out that this disaster grant funding would only be considered in term of budgetary processes wince it reflected in the municipality's accounts.

“The impact of this addition will not just be limited to the capital budget as the municipality will need to also account for the interest revenue, additional deprecation, and other operational impacts of these funds. The funds will be disbursed under the auspice of a Task Team that will work around the clock to ensure that it delivers quality project outputs on time. In addition, we will be undertaking oversight visits to all project sites on fourth-nightly bases,” Nhaca said.

The Mayor also used the occasion to confirm to Council that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) had officially resumed collecting toll fees on Umvoti and uThongathi toll plazas, following the suspension of fees due to the floods. Nhaca had earlier argued against the resumption of toll fee payments, which led to a further two months suspension.

“The government of KwaZulu Natal heard our plight and considered suspending the payment of tariffs for a period of two months, and this gave our people much-needed relief whilst SANRAL attended to critical infrastructure. I wish to applaud all members of this council for supporting this argument and its subsequent outcomes,” Nhaca said.