MMC calls on Minister to decentralise disaster funding

The City of Cape Town's Mayco Member for Human Settlement, Carl Pophaim, has called on National Government to decentralize disaster funding following the devastating fires over the long weekend. Over 750 people are displaced and two people have died in fires that broke out in Langa, Dunoon and Mfuleni.

Pophaim conducted oversight visits to informal settlements affected by the the Easter Weekend fires.

PHOTO: Facebook - MMC for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim

Pophaim says the City could better respond to these if disaster funding was managed by Local Government.

‘’Again, residents are waiting days and weeks on end to ensure they get materials to rebuild and I reiterate the call to the National Minister [Mmamoloko Kubayi] to devolve the grant to the City of Cape town where we have a municipality that works.

‘’It also underscores the difficult work the City is doing to upgrade the informal settlement and mitigates the absolute nonsense shared by the ANC in the Dullah Omar region that we return housing informal settlement grant to the City. We accepted R70 million without consultation, and without notification. We ensure we had gone back and plan for it and given projects that will utilized to spend the money two months before the end of the financial year,’’ he added.

PHOTO: Facebook - MMC for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim

Meanwhile, the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre says it will continue to coordinate humanitarian relief efforts in the aftermath of numerous informal residential fires at the weekend.

In addition to the humanitarian support provided by Gift of the Givers and Islamic Relief, a number of other organisations have stepped in to amplify aid efforts to those affected.

‘’The DRMC has also engaged retailers for support in this regard, and would like to thank everyone for their generous donations to date. In terms of rebuilding efforts, discussions are ongoing at the various sites between community leaders, local councillors, the City’s Informal Settlement Management Department and representatives from the National Department of Human Settlements,’’ said Charlotte Powell, City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk management spokesperson.

‘’A number of City Departments too continue their efforts to clear the sites of fire debris, and to restore services like water and electricity supply where these were impacted by the fires,’’ added Powell.

 

Done By: Alungile Njemla