JOHANNESBURG - Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has allocated R695-million to deal with the recent devastating floods that have affected various provinces in the country.
The announcement was made during his Budget speech on Wednesday.
He said, "in relation to the recent floods and the national disaster declared in various provinces, R695 million is available in this financial year for immediate relief. A further R1 billion will be available next year."
"The emergency response also requires provinces and municipalities to reprioritise existing allocations to cater for the immediate needs of affected communities, such as temporary shelter and social assistance."
"The contingency reserve will also be used to fund emergency responses, including as undertaken by the Defence Force. As it pertains to Recovery and Repair, which relates to longer term rehabilitation and rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, assessments of the extent of the damage and costs need to be determined. Funding for this component will be through the normal budget process."