The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Wednesday emphasised the need for coordinated and proactive disaster responses following the recent flooding in the Eastern Cape, expressing concerns with the country’s preparedness and long-term disaster resilience.

Earlier this month, relentless rains, strong winds, and landslides tragically claimed lives and caused widespread devastation across communities, especially in the OR Tambo and Amathole district municipalities.

So far, up to 100 people, including 23 learners, have lost their lives. The floods have affected over 6 800 households, and more than 4 700 households are now homeless.

There was significant damage to road infrastructure, with 51 roads impassable. Water and electricity services were also disrupted, although restoration efforts are ongoing.

The province has since been classified as a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act.

Welcoming a presentation on the national and provincial responses to the Eastern Cape floods, Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs chairperson Dr Zweli Mkhize reiterated that the floods presented an opportunity to reassess the national disaster management system, ensuring effective intergovernmental coordination and to prioritise the safety of vulnerable communities in recovery and preparedness efforts.
 
Mkhize said the committee heard that the completed infrastructure damage assessments for the costs of repairing damaged infrastructure were estimated at R5.1-billion.

Providing clarity on funding, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told committee members that emergency relief was currently being handled through existing departmental budgets.

The departments of Human Settlements, Social Development and Cooperative Governance all have internal disaster allocations. However, he acknowledged that the recovery and reconstruction phases would require additional funding over the medium-term expenditure framework.

“We have a contingency reserve of about R5-billion, but it’s not enough to meet the full scale of need. Once detailed assessments and engineered project plans are submitted, we will consider further allocations, including through the adjustment appropriation process,” he said.

The committee expressed concerns about the country’s preparedness and long-term disaster resilience, pointing to infrastructure maintenance, particularly the condition of bridges and the cleaning of stormwater drains, which Mkhize said often contributed to the scale of flood damage.

"Municipal disaster management plans were flagged as often lacking, and members expressed concern that insufficient measures were being taken to prevent people from settling in flood-prone areas. Some members also emphasised the importance of proactive disaster planning and enforcing compliance with laws governing spatial planning,” Mkhize explained.
 
Urging consequences against municipalities that fell short, the committee wanted to know what actions had been taken to sanction municipalities that had misused disaster relief funds in the past.

Members stressed that no one should benefit from residents’ suffering.

In addition, the committee also stressed the need for immediate legal and administrative steps to secure land for resettlement, as members were concerned about the pace at which temporary residential units (TRUs) were being delivered.

Mkhize noted that so far, only 122 out of a planned 4 724 TRUs had been provided.
 
The committee also called for the role of traditional leadership in disaster planning to be strengthened and that amakhosi must be recognised as strategic partners in land-use decisions.

Member also expressed concerns about learners affected by the floods, questioning whether they were receiving adequate support.

The committee called on government to urgently institutionalise disaster risk reduction as part of the integrated development planning processes, invest in rural infrastructure and ensure compliance with land-use laws.

The committee also emphasised the need to prevent corruption when using emergency procurement processes to address the needs of communities in distress.