KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, says the province has full restored water services, which were affected by last year's floods, with priority being given to vital services that are needed in homes and for industrial activity.

“We have recently commissioned Aquaduct 1 and a reservoir that was extensively damaged by the floods. This is now producing more volumes of potable water to supply many parts of eThekwini Metro.

“We also completed the uThongathi Water Scheme and are currently addressing reticulation challenges for areas such as Hambanathi. Repairs to the damaged pipeline that supplies Umlazi, including Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, are at an advanced stage and we have full restoration of water supply shortly," said the Premier.

She was speaking during the debate of President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address. The debate was held on Tuesday at the Cape Town City Hall.

On human settlements interventions, Dube-Ncube reported that all 135 mass care centres in eThekwini, Ugu, KwaDukuza and Pietermaritzburg, which accommodated flood victims who were left homeless and destitute in April and May 2022, were closed by December 2022.

“The support by national government has been phenomenal. We have provided dignity and privacy to the families and individuals who lost their homes in the floods,” the Premier said.

Dube-Ncube said progress is also being made in linking the victims to permanent housing projects in land parcels that have already been identified in various affected municipalities.

“We have to date secured eight land parcels, which will be used for permanent housing solutions in the Western, Northern and Southern regions. A total of R325 million has been set aside.”

Dube-Ncube has also assured everyone, including visitors to the province, that they will enjoy this Easter Holiday season in Durban, as most beaches are open and water quality is being monitored.

“We are resolving challenges to sanitation infrastructure that affected our beaches. The flood [damage], which impacted the northern and central beaches of Durban, has also been repaired. We also quickly attended to the Northern Wastewater Treatment Works,” Dube-Ncube said.

She welcomed the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Ramaphosa, noting that it was an apt depiction of the situation faced by the country.

“There was no bending of facts, underestimation of challenges and cooking of statistics. The SONA was a clear demonstration of the level of respect and regard the government has for the people of South Africa,” Dube-Ncube said.

She thanked the President for his support to the province of KwaZulu-Natal during the challenges it encountered.

Source: South African Government News Agency