Government should use the KZN disaster to reclaim the trust of the people — Ahmed Kathrada Foundation

The Ahmed Kathrada foundation has called on government to ensure the funds allocated to the KwaZulu-Natal flood disaster are not stolen nor misused.

The foundation said lessons had to be taken from the Covid-19 pandemic and state capture when public funds were misused. 

It called on government to use the disaster to earn the trust of the people as distrust was caused during the Covid-19 pandemic when funds were not used for the intended purposes and prices of essentials items for public use were inflated. Subsequently, trust in government plummeted to record low levels.

“Public infrastructure damaged due to the floods will have to be repaired in due course. There are likely to be significant public tenders for such reconstruction efforts which unscrupulous business entities will want to exploit,” the organisation said.

“This is where business criminals and looters will be focused on in the hope they will personally benefit. We cannot let the Covid-19 and state capture experiences go without learning from them.”

Neeshan Balton, executive director at the foundation, suggested there be transparency in how the funds are used.

“All procurement must be made transparently and, where possible, joint civil society and government oversight teams must be established. Regular reports on expenditure and tender allocations must be made available and the relevant legislature committees must be capacitated to do their oversight work over government departments”, Balton advised. 

The foundation also cautioned members of the public about making donations to the many charities that are reportedly assisting following the disaster.

“South Africans must rally behind reputable relief organisations and efforts being carried out across KwaZulu-Natal. Check that the institution you intend to support has a track record of service and is contactable beyond a bank account on social media,” the foundation warned.

It called for government to look deeper into climate change to ensure the country was prepared for such disasters in future.

 “Climate change is a reality and must be planned for as it is the poor and vulnerable who are the main victims of the current and future floods”, said Bolton.

The foundation conveyed condolences  to all the families who had lost loved ones during the disaster.

By Thursday evening, the KwaZulu-Natal government placed the official death toll at 341 with at least 55 injuries reported. 

Premier Sihle Zikalala said 40,723 people had been affected by the disaster.  

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