The KwaZulu-Natal government will need more than R1.9-billion to complete work to refurbish what the recent floods have destroyed.
Premier Sihle Zikalala made the announcement during an update on the response to the floods on April 24.
About R940-million will need to be invested to rehabilitate rail infrastructure operated by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa.
Further, construction has started on temporary residential units for those who lost their homes in the floods.
“We are finalising the assessment of some sites in Durban in terms of their suitability for construction. We must hasten to point out that this is a moving target. We are updating this information as more information is collated through Operation Sukuma Sakhe structures and our disaster management centres,” he pointed out.
Zikalala also welcomed the concession by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to suspend toll fees on key routes in the province.
Toll booths at the Tongaat and Umvoti Plazas have been lifted to ease the burden on the motorists, who are having to pay extra and are being diverted and thus also being delayed.
“The current delays on the N2, accompanied by closures along the R102 and M4, is placing a financial burden on the road users and has delayed the delivery of much-needed services. We welcome the Minister’s decision which is hailed as a relief by motorists and the NGOs and community-based organisations in the province,” he said.
The South African National Roads Agency has also partnered with the national transport department and affected municipalities have dispatched consultants to conduct assessments on strategic routes such as the M4 in eThekwini, the R102 between eThekwini and KwaDukuza, the R102 GJ Crookes and the Ntuzuma access road/Thendele drive P457, besides others.
These routes have been closed as they were extensively damaged. Some of the roads are unsafe to use and have been reduced to single lanes to allow for the traffic. Consultants have begun conducting assessments to determine the extent of damages to the road network so that the necessary interventions can be determined to speedily fix these routes.
With regard to electricity infrastructure, the City of eThekwini has seen an increase in the volume of faults, which are five times higher than what is normally experienced.
“Our objective is that all areas have water, electricity and road access restored as soon as possible so that a sense of the normal is restored in all areas of our province,” Zikalala said.