DA welcomes the establishment of the Parliamentary ad hoc committee into the KZN and Eastern Cape flood disaster

13 May 2022

The DA welcomes the eventual establishment of Parliament's ad hoc committee to oversee and assess the impact of devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

The resolution was agreed to some three weeks ago but Parliament has been slow to convene the committee and elect co-chairpersons. We are glad this has finally happened this morning.

It is vitally important that the committee gets to work and on the ground as soon as possible, and we look forward to the work program being provided to us next week.

The DA has made a submission that the committee gets on the ground as soon as possible, especially in eThekwini where the damage is far reaching. This will allow members of the committee to fully appreciate the devastation and hardships that far too many people are still dealing with.

As of today, there are no plans in the city to restore full water provision to households, with thousands of people relying on inconsistent water tankers to access drinkable water. Electricity outages continue to plague residents and thousands continue to live in community halls. This situation is simply not acceptable.

We trust the committee and the elected co-chairs, Mr. Cedric Frolick and Mr. Jomo Nyambi will put party politics aside and work in the best interests of those that have lost so much.

The DA looks forward to working with all members of the committee to hold all three spheres of government accountable and ensure residents affected by the floods are able to rebuild their lives.

Issued by Dean Macpherson, DA KZN Chairperson, 13 May 2022