R139 million allocated to KZN municipalities for disaster relief efforts
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has expressed his approval of the recent announcement from the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, regarding a substantial R139 million allocation dedicated to disaster relief efforts across KZN municipalities.
This initiative marks a crucial step towards supporting the communities devastated by calamities that have inflicted billions of rands worth of damage throughout the province.
This financial boost, aimed at disaster response and recovery, will play a vital role in enhancing infrastructure, allowing municipalities to install new disaster mitigation measures, and improve essential services that include roads and water and sanitation facilities.
The allocation not only signifies the national government's unwavering commitment to the restoration and rehabilitation of affected areas but also highlights the collaborative spirit needed to rebuild communities.
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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The hostilities escalated following a letter from the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA), Tsakani Maluleke, which requested Buthelezi's intervention due to the municipality's persistent failure to address material breaches in its operations. These breaches primarily stemmed from the municipality's inability to implement a credit and debt collection policy, as mandated by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) of 2003. Maluleke's correspondence defined a "material irregularity", as being, 'any non compliance with legislation, fraud, theft, or breach of fiduciary duty,' which resulted in potential financial losses for the municipality. She highlighted the municipality's continued failure to recover outstanding debts from consumers, warning that such negligence was likely to cause significant financial harm. 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