The Development Bank of Southern Africa ( DBSA) has approved R128 million for humanitarian support to help April flood victims in KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape. The April floods claimed over 400 lives and left hundreds of residents displaced in the coastal communities.
The approved support will serve vulnerable communities, delivering much needed support in water and sanitation services, adequate temporary housing and much needed roads infrastructure to enable mobility. Key to the funding is the drive to help kickstart and amplify social and human activity, ensuring that citizens in these affected areas rebuild their livelihoods.
“We witnessed the devastation in the two provinces, and the follow-on impact to people’s lives of a complete stop to social and economic activity. We are hoping to help kickstart the rebuilding of our fellow citizens’ lives, complementing government’s ongoing disaster relief activities. The funding is earmarked to help increase access to basic services such as clean water, electricity, community mobility, housing for vulnerable households headed by the elderly, children and differently abled people,” said Patrick Dlamini, CEO of the DBSA
In KwaZulu Natal, the support will include replacement housing for displaced and vulnerable families, provision of clean water through the sinking of boreholes, water treatment packages and water tankers, all worth over R79 million.
Dlamini added that taking the lead in the implementation of these much-needed humanitarian intervention is the bank’s Infrastructure Delivery Division. “Working with them will be various teams of infrastructure development experts within the bank providing engineering, project management, quantity surveying and supply chain management support. Funding and payment approvals will be managed inhouse and paid according to completed milestones. As the disaster relief is urgently needed, the humanitarian support will be rolled out immediately to start providing relief to the most affected communities,” he said.
