Mismanagement of disaster relief funds wont be tolerated, says COGTA's Hlabisa

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has warned it won’t tolerate any cases of mismanagement of disaster relief funds.

At a media briefing on Monday, the department announced it had already disbursed R1.4 billion to disaster-stricken municipalities and provincial governments.

Since December last year, 40 people have died from natural disasters across the country.

The department said that municipalities had a history of not properly managing disaster relief funds.

This was either through corruption or using the money for other purposes than what it was allocated for.

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Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said that municipalities and provincial governments would be required to give quarterly reports on how they were spending their disaster funds.

"The department is doing all it takes to ensure we follow these monies that have been allocated and transferred to these municipalities and we will see to it that there will be no diversion allowed and any diversion or mismanagement that will occur, consequence management will follow," said Hlabisa.

Hlabisa added that more disaster fund allocations would be made when the new financial year begins in May.