The Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, revealed the scale of damage and losses following a series of severe storms that affected the province in May, at R9.979 billion.
This was revealed on Wednesday during a cabinet meeting with the provincial government.
According to Winde, the cost of repairs and recovery is expected to exceed the Western Cape Government’s current affordability levels. As a result, provincial budgets will need to be reprioritised to ensure that critical recovery work can continue.
Cabinet noted that the Western Cape Department of Local Government has submitted a funding application to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), seeking financial assistance to address the funding shortfall for identified infrastructure repair and restoration requirements.
Further correspondence has also been submitted requesting that the Western Cape Government’s funding application be tabled before the relevant National Treasury Committee for consideration under the national provisions relating to unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure.
Cabinet approved financial commitments to various provincial government departments, amounting to R480 million from the province’s 2026/27 Unforeseen and Unavoidable Reserve.
“As a province, we cannot wait for lengthy disaster relief processes from National Government to be finalised. We must act decisively. We have excellent financial management mechanisms in place and a contingency reserve which we now have to exhaust because our economy and communities cannot be held ransom by damaged infrastructure,” Winde said.
He said this funding will enable departments to intensify response and recovery efforts while the Western Cape Government awaits confirmation of additional funding from the NDMC.
Winde said the funding allocation will continue to support critical interventions needed to restore essential services and public infrastructure.
“The magnitude of this disaster requires us to work even harder to secure every available rand needed to rebuild damaged infrastructure and support affected communities. The financial impact extends across multiple departments, which adds urgency to our response. We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that recovery efforts continue without delay,” Winde said.
Cabinet committed to ensuring the funding process is managed transparently and responsibly.
Strengthen resilience to severe weather events
Winde said government is required to strengthen its preventative measures and become more proactive in the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events against the backdrop of a changing climate.
“We cannot only respond after disaster strikes. We must also do more to reduce the risks before these events happen,” Winde said.
He said this included accelerating preventative measures such as cutting and maintaining firebreaks, clearing invasive alien vegetation from waterways and water bodies, improving stormwater systems, and strengthening the maintenance of critical infrastructure.
This includes accelerating preventative measures such as cutting and maintaining firebreaks, clearing invasive alien vegetation from waterways and water bodies, improving stormwater systems, and strengthening the maintenance of critical infrastructure.
IOL
Robin-Lee Francke
iol.co.za