Mpumalanga – The Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and Recovery has finished its two-day oversight trip to municipalities in Mpumalanga that were struck by severe floods the previous year.
According to Parliament of South Africa, engagements were held with key figures including mayors, councillors, and top management from the Lekwa Local Municipality in the Gert Sibande District Municipality and the Mbombela Local Municipality in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality. The committee was presented with detailed updates from the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs as well as the MEC for Social Development.
The briefings provided a panorama of the provincial initiatives to mend infrastructure and aid citizens impacted by the floods. Notable undertakings in the municipalities encompassed the reconstruction of a bridge, the restoration of water pumping stations, and road repairs that had been necessary due to the floods.
Provincial leaders conveyed to the committee the lesson underscored by the floods on the necessity of compliance with the Spatial Land Use Management Act, noting that most damaged homes were located on floodplains.
In addition to the assessment of the progress, the committee imparted guidance to both the provincial government and the affected municipalities on the integration of climate change impacts into their disaster management strategies.
Mr. Jomo Nyambi, serving as the co-chairperson of the committee, affirmed the satisfactory progress in dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. “We are satisfied with the progress of the intervention process. We now have a better appreciation and sense of what is happening. The reports that were presented in the meetings are a true reflection of the situation on the ground,” he stated.