FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, 09 May 2022
OPERATION VULINDLELA IS OPENING THE PATH TO GROWTH
The South African economy, like any other economy, cannot function, let alone grow, without efficient and competitive network industries. These industries – which include electricity, water, transport and telecommunications – are the arteries through which the oxygen of the economy runs.
Structural problems in these areas have long been cited as some of the main constraints on South Africa’s economic growth. Inefficiency and the high cost of network services are an impediment to doing business in the country.
A factory can only operate effectively with a reliable and affordable supply of electricity. A farm with irrigated farmlands can only produce food if its application for a water use license is processed timeously. A mine can only transport its minerals for export if the railways are functioning properly. And a small business cannot thrive if it lacks access to the internet or if the cost of data is too expensive.
To address and overcome these challenges, we set up Operation Vulindlela in October 2020 as an initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate structural reforms in these network industries. While the responsible government departments and entities drive these reforms, Operation Vulindlela monitors and identifies challenges and blockages. Where needed, it facilitates technical support to departments.
Today, we are releasing an update report on the work of Operation Vulindlela for the first quarter of 2022. The quarterly report outlines the progress made by Operation Vulindlela and the departments responsible for these reforms.
Across government, our focus is on reforms that are fundamental and transformative; that reshape the way our economy works.
This includes the auction of high-demand spectrum for mobile telecommunications, which was delayed for more than 10 years and finally completed in March. The release of new spectrum will improve connectivity and bring down broadband costs.
The establishment of the National Ports Authority as a separate subsidiary of Transnet last year had been delayed for more than 15 years. This was the necessary first step towards enabling private sector participation and increasing the efficiency of our port terminals.
We have also reinstated the Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop system for the first time since 2014 to ensure better monitoring of water and wastewater treatment quality. We have published an updated Critical Skills List, also for the first time since 2014.
These are just some examples where, by focusing effort and attention on a limited number of priority reforms, this administration has been able to drive progress.
Through Operation Vulindlela, we have also been able to take a more focused and holistic approach to reforms, ensuring better coordination where multiple departments and entities are involved.
The best example of this is in the energy sector, where a number of important, interconnected reforms are underway to change the way that we generate and consume electricity.
Milestones include the raising of the licensing threshold for new generation projects to 100MW, allowing these projects to connect to the grid and sell power to customers. We have revived the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme through the opening of new bid windows.
Changes to the regulations on new generation capacity have allowed municipalities to procure power independently for the first time. And legislative reforms will ultimately give birth to a new competitive electricity market, supported by the publication of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill and the work underway to amend the Electricity Pricing Policy.
The process of unbundling Eskom is on track, with the entity meeting its December 2021 deadline for the establishment of a National Transmission Company. By December this year we hope to complete the unbundling of Eskom’s generation and distribution divisions.
The quarterly report highlights a number of other important achievements, as well as areas where intensive work is underway.
In the water sector, Operation Vulindlela has been providing technical support to the Department of Water and Sanitation to implement a turnaround plan for the granting of water use licences, with a target to process 80% of all applications within 90 days.
Work is also underway to establish a National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency that will ensure better management of our national water resources.
In the transport sector, inefficiencies in port and rail have severely affected our ability to export goods. Work is underway to establish partnerships with private sector operators to invest in port infrastructure and improve the management of container terminals at the ports of Durban and Ngqura.
The White Paper on National Rail Policy, which was approved by Cabinet in March, outlines plans to revitalise rail infrastructure and enables third‐party access to the freight rail network. Transnet Freight Rail is already in the process of making slots available for private rail operators on the network.
A fully operational e-Visa system has been launched in 14 countries, including some of our largest tourist markets. A comprehensive review of the work visa system is also underway to enable us to attract the skills that our economy needs.
These reforms have been made possible due to better collaboration across government behind a shared reform agenda.
Many of these reforms are complex, involving new ways of working and even the establishment of new institutions. In some cases, it will take time for us to see their full impact. Yet they are the only way to shift our economy from stagnation to dynamism.
I would encourage those who continue to raise concerns about the slow pace of reform to read this latest report. What has been achieved by Operation Vulindlela and the respective departments in a relatively short space of time should demonstrate the commitment of government to implementing reforms that are necessary to inject growth into our economy and inspire confidence in the business and investor community.
We call on business and investors to take advantage of the changes that are underway and turn their pledges and commitments into tangible, job creating investments.
The reform agenda is moving and its momentum is unstoppable.
Together, let us build on this progress and translate economic reform into growth, opportunity and employment.
With best regards,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Tuesday, 03 May 2022
THE WORKERS HAVE SPOKEN AND WE MUST LISTEN
Two days ago, South Africa’s workers joined millions across the globe in marking Workers Day, also known as May Day. This is a day on which workers celebrate the victories they have achieved in the fight for their rights and reaffirm their commitment to struggle for the improvement of the conditions under which they work and live.
At the advent of democracy, we decided that this should be a public holiday because the struggles of workers are fundamentally about the betterment of society. It is a day which all South Africans should honour.
This year, I was invited to address a Workers Day rally at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. I was, however, unable to address the gathering because workers there had grievances that they expressed loudly and clearly. While the main grievance appeared to be about wage negotiations at nearby mines, the workers' actions demonstrated a broader level of discontent. It reflects a weakening of trust in their union and Federation as well as political leadership, including public institutions.
These workers wanted to be heard. They wanted their union leaders and government to appreciate their concerns and understand the challenges they face. In raising their voices, these workers were upholding a tradition of militance that has been part of the labour movement in this country for decades.
As political and union leaders, we have all heard the workers and understand their frustration.
More than that, we are firmly committed to take the necessary action to improve their lives and their working conditions. This is not something that government can do on its own. It needs both labour and business, and indeed the whole of society, to work with government to implement an agreed set of measures to grow and transform the economy.
South Africans have seen how such partnerships can bring about real change. The progressive labour laws that we have in place are the product of engagement among all social partners. Together, these social partners devised an effective response to the 2008 global financial crisis and laid the foundation for the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, which is guiding our response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was such a partnership that led to the introduction of a national minimum wage in 2019, a process that I was privileged to lead, giving effect to a demand that had been made more than 50 years before at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. And it is these partners that are, at this moment, once again engaged in deliberations on how to accelerate growth and create employment.
The wage grievances of the workers in Rustenburg deserve the attention of all stakeholders, employers and labour so that a fair and sustainable settlement can be reached. As government, we are committed to play our part.
But the workers at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium also made plain what nearly every South African knows: the working class and the poor of our country are suffering.
They made the firm point that we must do more, and act with greater urgency, to address issues of unemployment, poverty, deprivation and hunger. At the same time, we must establish more efficient mechanisms to enable workers to participate more fully in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes.
Since the advent of democracy, significant progress has been made in improving the social and economic position of the poor and working class through the improvement of conditions of employment, the general provision of basic services and access to education and health care.
Yet, the growth of our economy and the creation of jobs that followed the advent of democracy has been undermined over the past decade and more by the combined effects of the 2008 financial crisis, the sharp decline in commodity prices, state capture, corruption and poor governance.
The COVID-19 pandemic struck just as the country was emerging from the era of state capture. In addition to the loss of more than 100,000 lives, the pandemic caused massive damage to people’s lives and livelihoods. Our economy shrunk and more than 2 million jobs were lost in a period of 12 months. This was a massive blow to our country, from which it will take many years to recover.
While the pandemic has affected everyone in our society, it is the working class and the poor that have suffered most. They have also been the most affected by service delivery failures, corruption, crime and weaknesses in local government. It is the working class and the poor who were affected most by the public violence and destruction in July last year, and who were most vulnerable when catastrophic flooding struck parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
As the tragedies have struck our nation, we have not been idle, either as government or the social partners. We have responded with all the means at our disposal.
As the effects of the pandemic became evident, in April 2020 we introduced the largest social and economic relief package in our history. This provided cash directly to the poorest households, wage support to workers and various forms of relief to struggling businesses. As a result, many jobs were saved, many businesses were kept afloat and millions of households were kept out of dire poverty.
Some measures, like the R350 Social Relief of Distress, remain in place. The grant now reaches more than 10 million recipients. With the end of the National State of Disaster last month, we are engaging with various stakeholders on how to ensure that the grant continues to reach those who most badly need it.
This is happening alongside measures to promote employment, like the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has provided work and livelihood opportunities to more than 860,000 since it was started. It includes the expansion of the Employment Tax Incentive to encourage small businesses to employ more people, a loan guarantee scheme that has been redesigned to provide finance to smaller businesses, and the reduction of the red tape that holds back the growth of businesses.
We are undertaking fundamental economic reforms that will improve the competitiveness and economic contribution of the energy, water, telecommunications and transport industries. These reforms, together with increased investment in infrastructure, will enable faster economic growth and employment creation.
In the long term, these reforms will unlock much higher economic growth. And as businesses grow, they will create more jobs, helping workers and unions in a virtuous cycle. However, the workers that gathered at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and millions of other people across our country cannot wait for the impact of these reforms to be realised. That is why, as we implement these measures, we are seeking – within our constrained public finances – to provide a basic level of social protection to the most vulnerable.
Almost all of those who were at the Rustenburg rally would know someone in their family and their immediate community who is receiving an SRD grant, who is in a Presidential Employment Stimulus programme, who has received a NSFAS grant, or who is another way benefiting from some of these programmes.
While much is happening, there is still much more that needs to be done to unleash the potential of our economy and provide the employment opportunities that our people need.
That is why we need to all work together to ensure that it will not be long before the workers of Rustenburg – and indeed workers across the country – begin to experience the benefits of ports and rail infrastructure that can effectively carry our goods to export. So that we can all experience the benefits of a stable electricity supply that is cleaner and cheaper, of fewer restrictions on small and informal businesses, of better access for all to broadband technology, and of an exploration strategy that leads to an increase in mining investment.
The challenges that workers face this Workers Day are many and the hardships they endure are great. The road ahead will be difficult and there is much work to do. That is why we need to rebuild trust and confidence, and why we need to forge a social compact that not only has the support of workers, but also delivers meaningful benefits to them.
The workers have spoken. We must listen. And, together, we must act.
With best regards,
President Cyril Ramaphosa
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Dear Fellow South African,
Last week much of the country experienced load shedding as breakdowns at several of Eskom’s power stations resulted in the loss of substantial generation capacity.
Load shedding costs our economy dearly. It causes great frustration among all South Africans and creates hardship for households and businesses.
A stable and reliable supply of electricity is essential for almost every aspect of our daily lives and a necessary condition for economic growth. That is why we are focused on achieving energy security as one of our foremost priorities.
The country has been experiencing power shortages on and off for more than a decade. However, we are determined that this should not continue to be a part of our lives into the future. Even as we continue to experience crippling load-shedding, the reality is that much progress has been made towards ending our energy supply challenges.
To solve this intractable problem, we need to understand its roots.
South Africa’s fleet of coal-fired power stations are old and their performance is deteriorating. Despite warnings from energy experts about impending energy shortages nearly two decades ago, there was a delay in commissioning new generation capacity. When construction began on Medupi power station in Limpopo in 2007 it was the first power station to be built by Eskom in more than 20 years. Medupi has subsequently been beset by delays, costs overruns and breakdowns due to design problems, with many of these challenges linked to allegations of corruption.
For years, the existing power stations were not maintained properly, particularly as these plants were made to ‘run harder’ to meet the country’s energy needs. There was insufficient investment in the technical skills needed to operate and maintain power plants.
This situation was made worse by the devastating impact of state capture. Billions of Rands were diverted from critical operational requirements at Eskom into private pockets.
Eskom’s huge debt burden, including more than R36 billion of outstanding municipal debt, undermines Eskom’s ability to improve its maintenance, infrastructure build and other operations.
In short, the load shedding we experience now is the result of policy missteps and the impact of state capture over many years. This is the situation that we have confronted since the start of this administration and that we are all working to fix.
In doing so, we owe the board and management of Eskom our full support as they work to turn the utility around. They have to keep the lights on while rebuilding Eskom as a viable entity that fulfils its developmental mandate as a state owned enterprise, and positioning it for a just energy transition.
We also owe our full support to the many hardworking employees of Eskom, including power plant workers. Despite many challenges, they are doing their best to keep our ageing plants running and supply the electricity the country needs.
It may be difficult to imagine a future without load shedding, but the steps we are taking now will ensure that we get there.
The process of structural reform this administration embarked on in 2018 will have a far-reaching impact on the South African energy landscape, even if the changes will take time to bear fruit.
In 2018, we revived the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme that had been stalled since 2015. This enabled 2,205 MW from Bid Window 4 to proceed to construction, most of which has now been connected to the grid.
A further 5,200 MW of solar and wind power is being procured through Bid Windows 5 and 6. This additional generation capacity is due to connect to the grid from late 2023. The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 provides for a further 3,000 MW of gas and 500 MW of battery storage to be procured from independent power producers.
In June 2021, I announced that the licensing threshold for new generation projects would be raised from 1 MW to 100 MW. This means that private investors do not require a license to build generation facilities up to this size and can produce their own power or sell it across the grid to other buyers.
A joint task team comprising all relevant government departments and the private sector is working to accelerate investments in new generation projects under 100 MW. There is a pipeline of 58 projects under development with a combined capacity of 4,500 MW, many of which will commence construction this year. The task team is working to speed up environmental authorisation and other approvals.
South Africa’s energy security can only be assured if we reduce reliance on a single utility for power and unlock private investment in generation capacity. This is one of the most important reforms contained in the draft Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill that was gazetted for public comment in February.
The Bill provides for the establishment of an independent transmission and system operator. This means that while the national grid will remain owned and controlled by the state, there will be competition among multiple generators selling power to distributors and customers.
The introduction of a competitive electricity market will unleash new investment in generation capacity and will be a key driver of economic growth.
This reform process has already begun with the establishment of a separate transmission subsidiary by Eskom in December 2021, with the unbundling of Eskom on track to be completed by December 2022.
For its part, Eskom is forging ahead with its maintenance programme and with correcting design defects in its plants at Medupi and Kusile. It is also decommissioning old power stations that have reached the end of their design life and repurposing others to use cleaner energy sources. Eskom is also bringing in additional skills to assist with maintenance, including former employees and experienced plant managers.
It is difficult to expect the millions of South Africans grappling with the inconvenience and hardship caused by intermittent power outages to remain patient as we resolve these longstanding challenges. It is difficult to convince them, as they sit in the dark, that we are making progress towards a secure and reliable supply of electricity.
But the reality is that the energy landscape is being transformed, the problems at Eskom are steadily being addressed and substantial new energy generation capacity is being built.
It is difficult and unacceptable for South Africans to endure load-shedding. But we are doing everything in our means to ensure that, like state capture, it soon becomes a thing of the past.
With best regards,
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE OCCASION OF FREEDOM DAY
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ON THE OCCASION OF FREEDOM DAY
27 April 2022
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Acting Premier of Mpumalanga, Ms Thandi Shongwe,
MECs, MPs and MPLs,
Executive Mayor of Nkangala District, Councillor Leah Mabuza,
Councillors,
Leaders of political parties and civil society formations,
Traditional and religious leaders in our midst,
Members of the media,
Fellow South Africans,
Twenty eight years ago, just before midnight on the 26th of April, the old South African flag was lowered across the country for the last time.
For 66 years it had been a symbol of repression, discrimination and segregation.
Moments later, the flag of the democratic South Africa was raised for the first time.
The next day, the 27th of April, a new era dawned as nearly 20 million South Africans cast their vote for the first time.
We recall the immortal words of President Nelson Mandela on the day he was inaugurated, when he said:
“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.
Let freedom reign.”
Here, in Middelburg, in the old cemetery, is one of the darkest reminders of our divisive past.
Segregation was enforced, even in death.
English graves were separated from Afrikaans graves.
Whites were buried on one side, and blacks, Indians and coloureds on the other side.
Such was the inhumanity that was apartheid. Never should it happen again.
Mpumalanga, like many other parts of our country, was a site of struggle against centuries of oppression of one by another.
In 1959 the slave-like conditions of potato farm workers in Bethal spurred the successful countrywide potato boycott led by the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
In Nelspruit in 1957 our imbokodo, the brave women of this province, led resistance to the pass laws.
These women attacked the car of a magistrate who had come to enforce pass laws, and were met by police batons.
In Standerton that same year, a group of 914 women marched on the mayor’s office to protests against passes and were arrested.
We recount this history on Freedom Day not to hold on to the past.
We recount them as a reminder that we are a nation that looks forward and that moves forward.
Today, in the province of Mpumalanga and across our beautiful land, the people have tasted the fruits of freedom.
The quality of life of our citizens has been improved.
In democratic South Africa, 81 per cent of people live in formal housing.
Nine out of 10 South Africans have access to clean water and more than 85 per cent have access to electricity.
In democratic South Africa, basic education and health care is no longer the privilege of a few, but available to all.
Ninety-six per cent of children of school-going age are in school.
Two-thirds of these learners attend no-fee schools.
Free tertiary education is being provided to young South Africans to study, a dream that was denied their forebears.
Here in Mpumalanga, more than 600,000 children from poor households receive a meal at school through the National School Nutrition Programme.
This programme feeds more than nine million learners every school day across our country.
In democratic South Africa, people have expanding opportunities to realise their potential.
In a free South Africa, a young woman like Angela Kgothatso from Thembisile Hani District Municipality could overcome difficult circumstances to become Mpumalanga’s top performing matriculant for 2021, achieving 100 per cent in mathematics and physical sciences.
In a free South Africa, government support has enabled an aspirant farmer like Njabulo Mbokane from Ermelo to realise her dream, helping her along her journey from selling fish and chips from a street stand to becoming a successful commercial maize farmer.
In democratic South Africa, social grants provide a lifeline and source of income to millions of indigent people every month.
In free South Africa, we have recognised the injustices of the past, and are implementing a programme to restitute and redistribute land to those who were dispossessed of their birthright.
The South Africa of today is democratic and open. Government is based on the will of the people, and every citizen is equally protected by law.
The people’s voices are heard and their right to be part of any decision that affects their lives is protected.
In our free society, anyone can approach our courts for recourse, for the enforcement of their rights and to challenge any executive decision.
In democratic South Africa, neither government, employers or individuals can discriminate against someone on the basis of their sexual orientation.
Same-sex couples can marry, adopt children and inherit from their partners.
In South Africa today, nobody can be discriminated against or lose their employment because of their HIV or any health status.
In democratic South Africa, gender discrimination in any form is outlawed and women married under customary law enjoy rights that were denied to them in the past.
In South Africa today, people are protected against the denial of basic services, and against arbitrary eviction from their homes by landowners.
Farmworkers and labour tenants are protected against eviction from farms, an issue that has a painful legacy here in Mpumalanga.
In South Africa today, there is freedom of belief and religion in communities, in schools and places of higher learning, and in workplaces.
In the past, African cultures were looked down upon and African languages denigrated.
Today all South Africans are free to practice their cultures, all our eleven national languages enjoy equal recognition, and there are efforts underway to make sign language an additional national language.
Our independent courts protect citizens against the arbitrary use of power and can compel government to enforce their rights.
We have laws to protect against gender-based violence, to uphold the rights of children and to empower persons with disabilities.
Despite all these achievements, and despite much progress, we are not yet where we want to be.
Having endured decades of injustice and hardship, in 1994 we were infused with hope and expectation.
We held the vision of a promised land of freedom, equality and shared prosperity.
However, that vision has been tarnished by acts of corruption and state capture.
For some in positions of responsibility, the pursuit of self-enrichment was more important than improving the lives of the people.
South Africans have shown that they are determined to restore that vision, to end state capture and fight corruption, and rebuild the institutions of our democracy.
In recent years, the ruinous apartheid inheritance of poverty and unemployment has been worsened by global economic shocks, a devastating pandemic and by our own missteps and shortcomings.
Gender-based violence, substance abuse and other societal ills have become rampant in our communities.
Crime and violence is eating away at our society.
We can only defeat crime if we work together, as families, as communities and community leaders, as faith communities and leaders, and as individuals.
Forty eight years ago, one of Mpumalanga’s most famous sons, Hugh Masekela first released his famous song about the pain of black men and women in this land of Africa.
He sang of the coal train that comes from Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and all the hinterlands of southern and central Africa.
He sang of the men conscripted to dig, deep in the belly of the earth for almost no pay, far from their families and the loved ones they may never see again.
The lyrics of Stimela were about the lives of all the labourers on whose backs this country was built. They resound deeply today.
We are confronting a new menace, of violence against our brothers and sisters from other African countries.
We have seen it in many parts of the country in recent weeks, and it is deeply troubling.
There can be no doubt that we must work urgently to resolve issues of illegal immigration and its impact on our economy and society.
But there will never be any justification for violence.
For those seek refuge from persecution and have legitimate grounds, for any who have entered our country legally and have the legal right to be here, they will find South Africa a welcoming place.
Fellow South Africans,
On this Freedom Day we must ask ourselves what society we want to be.
We are a people who respect the sacrifices of those who came before us.
We take great pride in our nationhood and in the national symbols of our country, including our national flag.
We are a people of empathy, compassion and largeness of spirit.
One need only look at the great acts of charity and humanity being extended to the victims of the devastating floods in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West and the fires in Langa, Cape Town.
As we mourn the many lives that have been lost, the unity and solidarity in the reconstruction effort reminds us once more of the values that make us a great people.
We must ask ourselves what is needed to get us back on the path to the land promised by the Constitution.
We must ask ourselves what our own individual contribution must be to building the society we want.
We are a people who want to live in comfort and security not for ourselves alone, but for our neighbours.
These are the kind of values that we need as we consolidate our democratic gains to rebuild South Africa.
Overcoming poverty, unemployment and inequality are our foremost considerations.
Through the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, government continues to work to create a conducive environment for business.
In return, it is our expectation that business should step up their investment in communities and in human capital for the sake of developing South Africa.
As government at local, provincial and national level, let us consolidate our efforts to deliver on our promises to the people of South Africa by managing public resources wisely and by taking a firm line against corruption.
As communities let us work together and with community policing forums to make our areas safer and crime-free.
Let us not tolerate the abuse of women and children.
Let us not allow discrimination against persons living with disabilities.
Let us end all acts of hate directed at the LGBTQI+ community.
Let us take a stand against those who want to sow division and anarchy in our communities by persecuting nationals from other African countries.
If we have evidence of criminal activity, let us report those to the police and not take the law into our own hands.
Although we are in a new phase of our management of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still very much with us.
With the winter months approaching, let us take particular care of ourselves and those around us by getting vaccinated, getting our booster shots if needed, and by observing the public health protocols.
As President Mandela said in his inauguration speech, there is no easy road to freedom.
The task of nation-building and national reconciliation is ongoing.
It requires unity. None of us acting alone can achieve success.
We are a resilient nation.
We have proven time and time again that we can rise above our differences; that we can come out strong in the midst of adversity.
Let us take responsibility, one and all, to build the South Africa promised by our Constitution.
Let us take responsibility within our families, in our communities, in our workplaces and places of study, and in our places of worship.
Let us take responsibility in our daily interactions with our fellow countrymen and women.
Let us build the bridges of tolerance and understanding that are the bedrock of our nationhood.
Let us hold high the flag of freedom.
May God bless our country and protect her people.
I thank you.
DECLARATION OF A NATIONAL STATE OF DISASTER
Over the last week, communities along parts of our eastern coast have been devastated by catastrophic flooding.
On the 11th and 12th of April, parts of KwaZulu-Natal received between 200 and 400 mm of rainfall in a 24 hour period.
All parts of the province were affected by the rainfall, with the entire Ethekwini metro and the districts of iLembe, Ugu, King Cetshwayo and uMgungundlovu being most affected.
Heavy rainfall and flooding have also been experienced in the Eastern Cape, particularly in the districts of Alfred Nzo, Joe Gqabi and OR Tambo, where roads, bridges and houses have been extensively damaged, especially in the Port St Johns’ area.
To date, a total of 443 people are known to have lost their lives in KwaZulu-Natal.
Approximately 48 people are missing or unaccounted for.
Last week, I and a number of Ministers, accompanied by Premier Sihle Zikalala and MECs, as well as the Executive Mayor and councillors, visited several affected families.
They told us heart-breaking stories about children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and neighbours being swept away as their homes crumbled under the pressure of the flood waters.
There are few words of comfort that can ease the anguish and the torment of those people who have lost loved ones.
On the other side of the country, the community of Langa is counting the cost of a devastating fire, which destroyed about 300 homes and displaced around 1,000 people.
We are working with the City of Cape Town to provide shelter and relief to the affected families.
Tonight, we are a nation united in our grief.
We are a nation united in our determination to assist those who have lost their homes and possessions, and who are in desperate need of food, water and shelter.
The rains of the last week have caused extensive damage to houses, businesses, roads, bridges and water, electricity, rail and telecommunications infrastructure.
The flooding has disrupted fuel and food supplies.
Areas located close to rivers and waterways – particularly informal settlements – were severely affected and many dwellings were swept away.
Nearly 4,000 homes have been completely destroyed and over 8,300 homes have been partially damaged.
It is estimated that more than 40,000 people have been displaced by these floods.
This is a humanitarian disaster that calls for a massive and urgent relief effort.
The lives, health and well-being of thousands of people are still at risk.
The floods have caused great economic and social damage.
The Port of Durban – which is one of the largest and busiest shipping terminals on the continent and which is vital to our country’s economy – has been severely affected.
Access to the port has been disrupted by extensive damaged to the Bayhead Road, which links to the Durban Port Operations to the rest of the country.
This route handles 13,000 heavy vehicles per day.
The damage caused to businesses in the area have not been fully quantified, but assessments so far suggest that the Ethekwini Metro accounts for nearly half of all the reported damage.
There has also been extensive damage to public infrastructure, including schools, health facilities, police stations and magistrates’ courts.
It is estimated that over 270,000 learners have been affected.
Over 600 schools have been damaged.
Sixteen of these schools cannot be accessed due to damage to connecting roads and bridges.
We are saddened by the reports that a number of learners and at least one educator have died.
Sixty-six public health care facilities have been affected, although there has been minimal disruption to health services in most affected districts.
Extensive work is underway to restore basic services – such as water, electricity, sanitation and waste removal – to various areas in the province.
These efforts are being hampered by to damage to main supply systems and the inaccessibility of some areas.
To ensure an effective response to these tragic events, the National Disaster Management Centre last week classified the flooding as a provincial disaster.
This was followed by the declaration of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal to invoke extraordinary measures to deal with the situation.
However, given the extent and impact of the floods, the designation of a provincial state of disaster is inadequate to deal with the scale of the emergency and the required reconstruction and rehabilitation measures and responses.
The significance of the Port of Durban and related infrastructure for the effective operation of the country’s economy means that this disaster has implications far beyond the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
With the heavy rains and flooding in the Eastern Cape and indications from the South African Weather Service that the North West and Free State may also be affected by bad weather, it is clear that there are other areas of the country that need emergency intervention.
Cabinet therefore met in a special session last night and decided to declare a national state of disaster.
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will gazette the declaration.
This is to ensure an effective response across all spheres of government to the extreme weather events that have occurred in several parts of the country.
The primary responsibility to coordinate and manage the disaster is assigned to the national sphere of government, working closely together with provincial governments and municipalities.
It enables the mobilisation of more resources, capabilities and technical expertise in providing relief, recovery and rehabilitation to affected communities.
We will be responding to this disaster in three phases:
First, we will focus on immediate humanitarian relief, ensuring that all affected persons are safe and that their basic needs are met.
Second, we will focus on stabilisation and recovery, rehousing people who have lost homes and restoring provision of services.
Third, we will focus on reconstruction and rebuilding.
This will not only involve the construction and repair of major infrastructure.
It will also involve the construction of houses in suitably-located areas and measures to protect the residents of these areas from such adverse weather events in the future.
Several national government departments have already been working with their provincial and local counterparts to ensure an effective response in the allocation of financial resources and technical expertise to the emergency.
The South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force have been leading search and rescue efforts, with a total of 247 rescue operations to date.
This includes the deployment of SAPS personnel, diving teams, canine units and various vessels, helicopters and fixed-wing planes to the most affected areas.
Aircraft from the SANDF have been used both for rescue and for the delivery of relief supplies – such as food, water, tents and blankets – to people in inaccessible areas.
I have authorised the SANDF to bring in more personnel, water storage and purification supplies and engineering teams to assist with electricity and water restoration.
Various government departments at national and provincial level, municipalities, non-governmental organisations and businesses are distributing basic relief materials such as food, blankets, mattresses, clothing, chronic medication, toiletries and cooking utensils.
I wish to applaud and thank the many individuals and organisations that have taken the initiative to provide humanitarian assistance to those most affected.
This work is vital and we must all do everything within our means to assist.
I have met with the leadership of the Solidarity Fund to ask that it makes its capacity available to confront this dire emergency.
The Board has agreed to assist with humanitarian and other forms of relief in partnership with government, the private sector and various other non-governmental and community-based organisations.
The National Treasury will make an initial amount of funds available as part of our efforts with the Solidarity Fund to implement these support measures.
The Solidarity Fund has effectively managed the resources that government, the private sector and many South Africans made available to manage the COVID-19 effort as well as the July 2021 unrest assistance measures.
The Fund will now set up a separate bank account for the Flood Disaster.
This account can be used by South African and foreign donors who want to contribute to relief efforts.
The bank account details will be available during the course of tomorrow on the website of the Solidarity Fund.
One of the most pressing challenges in the affected areas is to ensure the supply of clean water and shelter.
The Department of Water and Sanitation is leading efforts to restore water supply to areas of Ethekwini that have been badly affected by damage to infrastructure.
This includes repairs to the aqueducts supplying water from the Nagle Dam to Durban Heights, assessing and repairing damage to water treatment works, and identifying and repairing leaks.
Areas without water are being supplied by water tankers, with the municipal fleet being complemented by an additional 100 tankers.
Most areas that experienced electricity disruptions, particularly in Ethekwini, are now back to full service.
The Department of Human Settlements has begun an assessment of damages to houses across the province, and has determined initial requirements for the provision of temporary accommodation, repairs to damaged houses and the replacement of destroyed houses.
An immediate task is to house those people who have been displaced by the floods.
Preparations are underway to provide temporary residential units and it is expected that construction of these should begin by the end of this week.
Financial assistance through a voucher system is being made available to assist households to rebuild partially damaged houses.
A national team of project managers and engineers have been deployed in the province to assess the damage and to advise on the rebuilding.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is identifying suitable state land that can be used for resettlement.
Infrastructure South Africa is working with relevant departments in all spheres to provide technical support for the repair and rebuilding of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and schools that have been damaged.
The South African National Roads Agency is the lead agency on the extensive work required to repair roads in the province, starting with an immediate focus on the N2 and N3 highways.
Detailed work is underway to assess and quantify the damage to roads and bridges.
To date, around 1,300 road repair projects have been identified by the agencies involved.
Progress has been made in restoring operations at the Port of Durban, opening alternative routes for trucks to access the port terminals and clean up debris in the harbour.
The Department of Small Business Development is mobilising funds to assist small businesses that have been affected by the floods.
Fellow South Africans,
It is going to take a massive effort, drawing on the resources and capabilities of the entire nation, to recover from this disaster.
We will make financial resources available to meet this challenge.
The Minister of Finance has said that a R1 billion is immediately available, and will be approaching Parliament for the appropriation of additional resources.
I will be approaching the Presiding Officers to request a Joint Sitting of Parliament next week to ensure that the elected representatives of the people of our country can be directly involved in oversight of the work that is needed to provide relief and to rebuild.
A comprehensive assessment of the economic cost of these floods still has to be made, but it is clear that it will run into billions of rands for the rebuilding of infrastructure and loss of production.
It will be critical, as we undertake this work, that all the resources we mobilise are used for their intended purposes and reach the intended recipients.
There can be no room for corruption, mismanagement or fraud of any sort.
Learning from the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are drawing together various stakeholders to be part of an oversight structure to ensure all funds disbursed to respond to this disaster are properly accounted for and that the state receives value for money.
These stakeholders include the Office of the Auditor-General, business, religious sector, labour, community-based organisations as well as professional bodies such as engineers and accountants.
We are determined that there must be transparency and accountability as the projects are costed and implemented, as well as how resources are deployed from the beginning.
We are grateful for the messages of support and pledges of solidarity that have been received from across the world, including from the African Union, United Nations and several Heads of State.
These floods are a tragic reminder of the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change.
We need to increase our investment in climate adaptation measures to better safeguard communities against the effects of climate change.
At the same time, we need to pursue our own emission reduction targets through a just transition that protects vulnerable communities and safeguards jobs.
Once again, the people of South Africa are coming together to provide assistance and comfort at a time of great need.
In the past week, so much has been done by so many people to bring relief to those most affected.
I wish to commend and thank the emergency service personnel, health care workers, police and defence personnel, municipal workers, volunteers and community members who spent many hours, at great risk to themselves, saving lives and providing support.
We were deeply saddened to learn about the death over the weekend of a police diver, Sergeant Busisiswe Mjwara, who died while conducting a search for victims in the Msunduzi River.
We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.
We welcome the support that other provinces have provided in the form of technical expertise and other disaster assistance to KwaZulu-Natal.
We thank the religious community for their prayers and words of comfort over the Easter weekend.
There is still so much more that needs to be done to restore homes, lives and livelihoods.
Let us all work together, as a united and determined nation, to recover and rebuild from this tragic disaster.
May God bless South Africa and protect its people.
I thank you.