Durban — The South African Local Government Association (Salga) in KwaZulu-Natal has called for a Municipal Infrastructure Maintenance Grant (MIMG) and a holistic review of municipal infrastructure funding in the wake of extraordinary weather and flood damage.
That was according to a statement by Salga KZN chairperson Thami Ntuli, who said that Salga KZN urges the National Treasury and the Financial and Fiscal Commission to review how municipal infrastructure is funded. Currently, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is the primary means by which municipal infrastructure is funded. However, this fund is primarily ring-fenced for new infrastructure. The assumptions that led to the MIG framework are no longer viable.
Ntuli said that the MIG was developed assuming that rates and other municipal services would generate enough revenue to fund the maintenance of newly built municipal infrastructure.
“With extreme weather events resulting in floods, flash floods and mudslides, municipalities cannot keep up with the maintenance demands,” Ntuli said.
He said that according to the South African Weather Service, in KZN, about 28 days per year, areas receive more than 10mm of rain over 24 hours. This varies from four times a month in summer to once a month in winter. The weather patterns observed in KZN in recent months were not typical. More than 200mm of rain was recorded in KZN in December 2022. Persistent heavy rain over large parts of KwaZulu-Natal resulted in widespread flooding and roads collapsing. The KZN coastal rainfall was particularly affected.
In April 2022, more than 300mm of rain fell in KZN. A global Christian Aid report listed last year’s floods in April 2022 in KZN as one of the world’s top 10 costliest extreme events, Ntuli continued.
“In the previous financial year, R157 138 499 was released from the Municipal Disaster Relief Grant (MDRG) to 16 municipalities in KZN, Limpopo, Northern Cape and North West provinces for intervention measures in addressing flood damages due to tropical storm Eloise. A total amount of R173 132 490.93 was transferred to 10 municipalities in EC and WC, respectively, from the Municipal Disaster Relief Grant. The purpose of the allocation was to put measures in place for drought intervention measures.
“The MDRG is seemingly overstretched and is fraught with conditions, yet the MIG is primarily reserved for new infrastructure, even in these extraordinary times. The Department of Co-operative Governance is responsible for managing and transferring the MIG (R15 billion a year) that is in place to mainly eradicate municipal infrastructure backlogs in poor communities to ensure the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, roads and community lighting. Of this grant, within the current regulations and conditions, only 15% can be used to maintain existing infrastructure,” Ntuli explained.
He questioned if it was not time for consolidation.
He said that if there was no new money to establish a Municipal Infrastructure Maintenance Grant, then the conditions for existing grants could be relaxed to allow for greater focus on the maintenance of existing infrastructure.
“Salga calls on all municipalities impacted by Eskom load reduction to immediately take similar actions to Ulundi Local Municipality and approach the courts for relief,” Ntuli said.
Daily News