Auditor-General report shows govt was slow to respond to KZN & EC floods this year
The Office of the Auditor-General (AG) said the government was slow to respond to the flood disaster that hit KwaZulu-Natal, and parts of the Eastern Cape, in April this year.
The AG is the latest to criticize the government’s response after political parties and civil society organizations raised concerns about flood victims being left destitute.
In a report, conducted at the behest of President Cyril Ramaphosa, it was revealed on Wednesday how government institutions were unable to efficiently and quickly roll out key initiatives.
The impact of this sluggish response has meant that residents and businesses in affected areas continue to experience hardship – more than three months on.
The floods that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal claimed the lives of at least 459 people, destroyed thousands of homes, and displaced about 40,000 residents.
In the aftermath, damage to public infrastructure in the province stood at R25 billion, while damage to businesses amounted to an estimated R7 billion.
A new report by the Auditor-General’s Office underscored government’s failure to alleviate the suffering of flood victims.
Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke revealed that although the government committed to provide temporary relief measures, there was a lack of urgency, a shortage of capacity, and inadequate intergovernmental coordination.
“Some of the things we have been raising before are around the inadequate government coordination, which has a dire directive impact at weakening the delivery of even the best designed response. The impact of these weaknesses, the ability to ensure they reach citizens when they need it the most, that ability is not there.”
She called on the government to take urgent action where delivery is slow or compromised, so that relief can reach citizens struggling to restore their livelihoods.
The AG also raised several red flags around contracts to rebuild infrastructure damaged by the floods.
The auditor-general has recommended investigations into the public works and infrastructure department over possible risks of graft and misuse of public funds.
-EWN
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