The last few weeks have been some of the toughest for our residents and the leadership of the City of Johannesburg.
Our arrival at this devasting point, began on Monday, 5 December 2022, with torrential downpour that included larger than usual hail stones, which caused damage to property, fauna and flora, essential infrastructure, particularly – roads, traffic lights, buildings, substations, power stations and pipelines – and tragically it was on this day that 15-people tragically lost their lives during an alleged religious ceremony at the Jukskei River. As we stand today, the remains of a 3-month-old baby have still not been recovered.
Subsequent days of rainfall have put pressure on already damaged infrastructure and continues to affect the lives and livelihoods of the residents of Joburg.
The rain and the destruction it has caused, and continues to cause activated the City’s Joint Operations Committee (JOC) at the Joburg Metro Police Department’s Integrated Intelligent Operations Centre (IIOC). This is to ensure a coordinated response to the rapidly evolving and destructive emergency the residents and the City continue to be subjected to.
The JOC is made up of over 20-stakeholders from Joburg, the Gauteng Provincial Government as well as the National Government. Some of the stakeholders include, but are not limited to:
• The Office of the MMC for Public Safety
• Joburg Department of Human Settlements
• JMPD
• Joburg Emergency Management Services
• Joburg Disaster Management Centre
• Joburg Department of Health and Social Development
• Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre, including the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
• Joburg Group Risk and Assurance Services (GRAS)
• The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
• NGOs
• The Joburg Roads Agency; and
• City Power and Eskom, to name but a few stakeholders.
Members of the Media,
Thus far, 23 people have been rescued by Joburg EMS; 148 people have been rescued by SAPS Search and Rescue; approximately 213 formal households have been damaged; 61 informal settlement dwellings have been damaged; and 16 people have tragically lost their lives, including off-duty SAPS member, Warrant Officer Ntsako Pataka.
Once again, on behalf of the Joburg Multi-Party Government, I wish to convey my condolences to the loved ones of those who have regrettably lost their lives as a result of the emergency caused by the inclement weather.
Last week Friday, alongside MMCs we paid our respects to bereaved families in Alexandra; and with the Department of Social Development that is providing counselling, burial services for those who cannot afford to bury their loved ones, and other related social services.
Residents of Joburg,
Due to the extent of the damage, particularly to City Power’s network, I wrote to Eskom on Sunday, 10 December 2022 to request an exemption from loadshedding, especially in Regions C, D, E and G, which have been most affected by the storms.
By Monday they had acknowledged receipt of my request; and on Thursday, 15 December 2022, a 3-day reprieve was granted to those areas. City Power will, together with Eskom, use their discretion to decide on the areas that may be under pressure with maintenance and repair backlogs. This is a significant move by Eskom, and it shows an understanding of the emergency we find ourselves in because maintenance and repairs, as well as the detection of faults cannot be conducted on a network that is not live. City Power teams are now working tirelessly to clear a backlog of approximately 5,000 logged calls.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The current damage to state infrastructure sits at approximately R300-million (R292,419,903); and we expect this figure to increase, as some areas are still under water or inaccessible, therefore making it impossible to conduct an accurate and a final assessment.
A breakdown of the figures currently, is as follows:
Department/Entity Amount
Joburg Water R6,750,000
Joburg Roads Agency R115,240,00
Joburg City Parks and Zoo R15,000,000
City Power R31,000,000
Human Settlements R98,363,560
These figures exclude a 10% provision for contingencies, and VAT at 15% that are added to the total.
Residents of Joburg,
It is in this context that I signed off on a report from the City’s Disaster Management Centre, which has been submitted to the Provincial and National Disaster Management Centres, stating our intention to declare a Local State of Disaster.
Section 55 (1) of the Disaster Management Act makes provision for in the event of a local disaster, the Council of a municipality, having primary responsibility for the coordination and management of the disaster, may, by notice in the Provincial Gazette, declare a local state of disaster if -
a) existing legislation and contingency arrangements do not adequately provide for that municipality to deal effectively with the disaster; or
b) other special circumstances warrant the declaration of a local state of disaster.
Further to this, Section 23 (1) of the Act states that when a disastrous event occurs or threatens to occur, the National Disaster Management Centre must, for the purpose of the proper application of this Act, determine whether the event should be regarded as a disaster in terms of the Act and if so, the National Disaster Management Centre must immediately –
a) assess the magnitude and severity of potential magnitude and severity of the disaster:
b) classify the disaster as a Local, Provincial or National disaster in accordance with subsections (4), (5), and (6); and
c) record the prescribed particulars concerning the disaster in the prescribed register.
In short, in order to declare a Local State of Disaster, the City requires concurrence from the Provincial and National spheres of Government. We therefore trust that the detailed report submitted to the relevant authorities, will accelerate the declaration of a Local State of Disaster.
The declaration of a Local State of Disaster enables us, where necessary to access resources from the Provincial and National spheres of Government, and accelerate supply chain management processes. We do not want a repeat of a feverish scramble for contracts like we saw during the early COVID-19 years; therefore, the City’s Group Risk and Assurance Services will keep a focused eye on procurement. The Multi-Party Government will not allow the corrupt to sacrifice lives and livelihoods for self-enrichment.
Currently, the expenditure for the provision of emergency-disaster relief materials is funded from the Incident Management Fund under Public Safety. This emergency will also require a review and adjustment of the 2022/23 budget.
Residents of Joburg,
On Wednesday morning, I arrived in Cape Town to meet with Mr Colin Deiner, the Chief Director of Disaster Management in the Western Cape. Mr Deiner has a wealth of local and global experience in dealing with disasters, and he runs a very impressive and permanent Provincial Disaster Management Centre.
Having toured the facility and gained insight into best practice when dealing with a disaster, work is already underway to enter into a partnership with the Western Cape Provincial Government.
In closing,
When the Multi-Party Government was elected to Office, we were clear in stating that we cannot repair and rebuild Joburg without collaboration from other spheres of government, the private sector, or NGOs. We therefore want to thank NGOs and private sector players who have come on board to supplement the City’s humanitarian work.
I am also encouraged by the work of Councillors, alongside City and Entity Officials who have been working under mentally and physically strenuous conditions. They are the women and who are at the coalface of service delivery. Thank you!
A word of gratitude also extends to Joburg residents who have logged calls, and have been patient as we work through backlogs especially in the energy space.
I must also commend the Members of the Mayoral Committee, all of whom have been working in and with communities in order to restore order and stabilise service delivery operations.
Having conducted an inspection of Region E, this weekend I will lead a delegation of the Executive to Regions C, D and G in order to assess and assist with humanitarian and clean-up operations.
Indeed, this is a dark time for the City, but we are determined to once again see the sun shine on our City, as we work to repair and rebuild Joburg, together.
Ke a leboga. God bless you all.
ENDS…
For media queries, please contact:
Mabine Seabe
Director: Mayoral Communication
Private Office of the Executive Mayor
084 677 7851
17/12/2022
