Durban – The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the appointment of critical staff in the Disaster Management Division of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
In a motion tabled before the sitting of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on Thursday, the DA’s Martin Meyer warned that failure to do this could have dire consequences for the province.
He noted that the province had been affected by climate change which had led to heavy rains, resulting in massive damage to property and infrastructure to some areas, mainly in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, and said this warranted swift and effective action from the government.
As KZN and many parts of South Africa are experiencing heavy rains, there were fears that this could happen again.
“With the worsening global climate change more natural disasters are bound to happen, KZN (Cogta) has a critical staff shortage that is dangerously hampering its ability to fulfil its function,” he said.
He stressed that the government’s intervention could help to save lives, but pointed out that this relied on having adequately qualified staff in the disaster management division within Cogta.
“The MEC must immediately institute a strategy to fill the posts at the disaster centre,” Meyer continued.
Recently parts of Pietermaritzburg were badly affected when heavy rains resulted in blocked drains and the flooding of homes in Edendale and Sobantu, prompting calls for help by residents and underlining the devastating impact of climate change.
Some of the residents that were affected by the floods in April this year are still living in shelters, with attempts to relocate them to permanent housing continuing.