Disbursement of disaster funds will be closely monitored – Minister in the Presidency

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele has assured South Africans that there will be close monitoring of how the funds to assist with the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape floods disaster, are used.

He says government departments like Treasury and the Auditor-General, will ensure that the cash is properly utilised.

This follows widespread concern that corrupt actors will siphon off the cash as happened with large amounts of resources intended for COVID relief.

Gungubele was part of a virtual media briefing: “What the President said is that structures like labour, community based organisations, business and religious leaders and the private sector are expected to be a part of the broader oversight movement. So, it is in that context, but other structures which we are in control of, which is Treasury, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and of course under AG on the other side, those structures are already at work.”

Political parties have questioned whether the money and resources allocated to help communities devastated by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, will get to their intended beneficiaries.

The government has allocated R1 billion towards the disaster to be used to help affected communities with emergency assistance, to rebuild their homes and restore services and infrastructure.

However, some political parties are demanding that there be better administration and oversight of the disbursement of funds.