Government welcomes the real-time audit by Auditor-General

02 August 2022

Government welcomes the real-time audit by Auditor-General

Government welcomes the Auditor General’s (AG) first Real Time Audit report on the flood relief response to the flood damages in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Government appreciates the areas where the relevant departments performed well in executing the flood relief interventions such as in the distribution of social relief packages. It acknowledges that the rollout of some of the interventions has taken longer than anticipated. The report recommends areas that require improvements and highlights challenges that require urgent interventions.

Minister in The Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said: “At the onset of government’s response to the disaster, President Ramaphosa stressed that there can be no room for fraud, corruption or mismanagement of any sort. Various stakeholders were drawn to be part of an oversight structure and to ensure that there is transparency and accountability. This real-time auditing allows us to reflect, engage, and put in place responsive changes to improve the lives of citizens. The government will use the outcomes of this audit to work towards strengthening our disaster management capacity.” 

To this end, the government has conducted its relief measures within the prescripts of the PFMA and recognises the areas requiring improvements. A lot of work has been done to provide support to the affected citizens. Some of the repairs were anticipated to be completed in a longer duration, such as the M4, which links Durban, La Mercy and King Shaka, but have been completed ahead of schedule.  The M4 was repaired for R3 million and was done using internal teams with the employment of 145 Expanded Public Works Programme participants.

Another key intervention to highlight is the OThongathi Water Treatment Works which was entirely washed away and resulted in the interruption of water supply in the area. The repairs are currently at an advanced stage with the interim measure, a tie-in to the Mamba Ridge pipeline that will assist to direct two million litres of water a day from Hazelmere Dam to the OThongathi in place.  The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure released four parcels of land for human settlement development purposes and is currently processing another land parcel for release shortly. In addition, the KZN Department of Human Settlements together with eThekwini Municipality are in the process of signing a lease agreement with Transnet for the use of the Montclair Lodge to house temporarily the flood victims whilst they wait for their permanent home. Through the South African Social Security Agency, the government provided social relief to flood victims by the end of July in the form of approximately 99 500 hot meals and 10 894 food vouchers for groceries in KwaZulu-Natal. Furthermore, 2 637 items of humanitarian goods were delivered, 4 159 cash distributions were paid directly into bank accounts, and 816 school uniforms were provided in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Minister Gungubele added, “We are urging all relevant departments and service providers to continue to speed up delivery. The three spheres of government must rapidly intervene and mitigate the concerns raised by the Auditor-General. Whilst work is underway we must move with more speed.”

Enquiries: Phumla Williams 083 5010 139