Johannesburg - Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse has committed to ensuring that much-needed resources are deployed to communities around the city that have been affected by floods and storms.
Last week, the city was lashed by heavy rains, which led to rivers around Joburg, such as the Jukskei, bursting their banks.
Roads, bridges, and, in some cases, entire houses, have collapsed because of the floods.
Phalatse’s spokesperson, Mabine Seabe, said the mayor had been devastated by the impact of the natural disaster on residents.
Phalatse and her MMCs visited some of the affected areas.
“The executive mayor led a delegation of the executive to Alexandra to assess clean up and humanitarian operations.
“Equally MMCs have been across the city particularly regions C, D, E and G that have been hardest hit.
“Operations are ongoing around the clock, especially by public safety, JRA, Joburg Water, and City Power. It is all hands on deck,” Seabe said.
Seabe said the city was aware that some of the structures, such as homes, that were damaged in the floods had been built without approval from the city’s development planning department.
“Mayor Phalatse is devastated by the level of damage but is encouraged by the work that has been done by officials and councillors.
“Residents need to abide by the city’s by-laws by not building on flood lines and getting approved plans from the Department of Development Planning.
“Councillors have supported the mayor’s call for illegal and dangerous structures to be demolished in order to save lives,” Seabe said.
Seabe said that the city has already begun assisting affected households, and the Department of Social Development and other departments are on the ground helping those in need.
It was not clear if the city would have sufficient funds to ensure the rebuilding and repair of some of the damaged infrastructure.
The municipality has been having problems paying service providers across all city entities.
This has led to a stoppage of work by some contractors, holding up city projects.
According to reports, City Power alone experienced more than 4 000 outages. “At this point, the damage cannot be calculated, but it is an ongoing exercise. Councillors and residents have been encouraged by the presence of the mayor and her executive to get first-hand information and to direct resources accordingly,” Seabe said.
City Power said it has deployed all available technical resources and adjusted working hours to deal with the electrical crisis unfolding in Joburg.
“The recent heavy rains and flooding coupled with up to Stage 6 load shedding means we are effectively dealing with a crisis situation,” MMC for environment and infrastructure service department (EISD) Michael Sun said on Saturday evening.
“City Power is rising to this unprecedented challenge with courage and focus. I have every confidence the technical strategy on the table will be effective and I am in constant communication with the City Power team to ensure that we get to every single outage without delay.”
Meanwhile, SAPS is mourning the death of Warrant Officer Ntsako Pataka, whose body was recovered on Sunday morning in Soweto after his private vehicle was swept away in floods caused by heavy rain on Friday.
According to Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, search and rescue teams have been hard at work to recover the officer’s body since he was swept away on Friday.
“Warrant Officer Ntsako Pataka, 36, was attached to the Protection and Security Services (PSS) division, where he served as an in-transit VIP protector. The member had 15 years’ service, having joined the organisation in 2007,” said Mathe.
The Star