The Free State is among the provinces that were heavily impacted by the heavy rain, which led to the flooding of houses, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

The first payment disaster relief grant is expected to be disbursed on Friday (11/7). This was announced at the release of disaster response funds at the Sandton Convention Centre on Monday (7/7). 

The 1.2 billion grant will be distributed in three phases: R151.3 million, which is provincial response grants, will be released. R395 million in municipal response grants will follow on Friday, 18 July, and a final R708.9 million disbursement is scheduled for Thursday, 28 August, of which R504 million is earmarked for the Eastern Cape.

“Before any payments are made, municipalities must provide detailed reports on how past funds were spent or face having the money withheld,” said Minister of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Velenkosini Hlabisa. “The funds disbursed must be utilised exclusively for sanctioned purposes and may not be redirected to unrelated expenditures, such as employee travel.”

In February and March, Cogta disbursed an amount of R1.4 billion to allow relief efforts to be implemented across affected provinces, and three Free State municipalities received the grants. Masilonyana municipality received R18 million, Dihlabeng municipality received R5 million, and Metsimaholo municipality received R10.5 million.

“The Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant is contingent upon specific conditions that municipalities are required to follow, including compliance with various regulations, such as the Division of Revenue Act and the Municipal Financial Management Act,” said Hlabisa.

“After the National Disaster Management Centre transfers funds, municipalities are expected to use these resources promptly, and they must follow established reporting protocols and use the required templates to ensure accountability in their financial disclosures.”

If there is no accountability, money will not be released. It will be as simple as that, he warned. 

Cogta will send teams to the impacted areas to confirm the damage to the infrastructure and the related costs of reconstruction.

In April, unprecedented rainfall caused floods, significant damage to property and infrastructure, and disruptions to basic services.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh