Johannesburg – Over R30 million is needed to rebuild and repair the homes destroyed by the recent heavy rains across the North West province.
This is according to North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Lena Miga, who was speaking during the handing over of a newly built house to a family that fell victim to the heavy rains in the Pheding section of Lebotlwane village on Wednesday.
According to the MEC, the department has already done its assessment and is in the process of applying for the human settlements disaster fund from the national department.
The MEC said emergency services have already been sent to affected areas in different municipalities, working with the Department of Social Development and other government entities.
“Government responded to the call after the disaster was reported. We have now made sure that we take stock of requirements to restore the dignity of our people. And we are in the process of making sure that officials are hard at work in offering assistance to the affected families. We are in contact with the National Department as we are applying for a Human Settlements Disaster Fund which according to our audit, amounts to over R30 Million rand”, MEC Miga said.
The heavy torrential rains left a trail of devastation around the province and many families were affected.
While the government was busy with mop-up operations and offering assistance to affected families, a good Samaritan offered to build a house for the Kgwadi family as part of his company’s corporate social investment.
On Wednesday the Kgwadi’s were officially handed the keys to their newly built home by MEC Miga, the Mayor of Moretele Local Municipality, Masango Manyike, and other local leaders.
In a statement, the department said Hans Kgwadi, who lost most of his belonging during the recent heavy rains, was pleased to receive a house that he said will ease his deteriorating health.
The 63-year-old father of four who is also a pensioner, said: “I’m happy that I will be moving into a newly furnished house. I want to thank all those who made this possible and thank the municipality for its assistance during [this] difficult time. I also want to thank the government for restoring our dignity.”
The MEC has called on many other developers doing business with the government to extend a giving hand to the needy in areas where they work, adding that government alone cannot win the battle against poverty and unemployment.
“What Mr. George Gabuza of Gabzas construction and transport company did, is an act of kindness and love for fellow mankind. We pride ourselves on such individuals who open their hearts and assist the government in restoring the dignity of our people. We are aware of your philanthropic acts and we are thankful as a government to have people like you in our society,” MEC Miga said.
The department will soon issue a full report on the state of disaster and its plan of action.
–SAnews.gov.za
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