Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has visited the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape as part of coordinated efforts by government to offer psychosocial support and social relief packages to the communities adversely affected by the recent floods.
The Minister was joined by Eastern Cape MEC for Social Development, Bukiwe Fanta and Speaker of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, Nomamfengu Siyo-Sokutu.
During the visit, both the Minister and the MEC extended heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured and currently recovering in hospitals and places of safety.
“SASSA [South African Social Security Agency] and Home Affairs are working very closely to ensure that death certificates are released, so that the agency can assist the families that will not be able to lay to rest their loved ones with financial assistance,” the department said in a statement on Monday.
The principals were accompanied by the National Director-General Peter Netshipale, SASSA CEO Themba Matlou, Acting CEO of National Development Agency (NDA) Thabani Buthelezi, SASSA Eastern Cape Regional Manager Bandile Maqetuka, and NDA Provincial Manager, Nokulunga Skeyi.
Following the events of the past week, where approximately 90 people lost their lives and thousands displaced, the social development sector with its partners dispatched its personnel to provide assistance to the affected people.
SASSA, through its Social Relief of Distress (SRD) programme, has acted swiftly to assist families whose homes were severely affected during the floods. To this end, SASSA has been active on three established sites, where people are served with three nutritious meals a day, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to immediate food security.
In anticipation of the transition phase, SASSA has developed a disengagement plan aimed at equipping beneficiaries with basic resources to support reintegration and restore a sense of stability. This includes the provision of urgent packs to restore the dignity of the families who have lost everything they had.
The department explained that the activation of the Disaster Management Act has enabled SASSA and its partners like the Gift of the Givers and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, to provide urgent needed services to the displaced communities.
“The work of the agency has been supervised by the Internal Audit Committee to allow proper accountability at the end of the intervention to avoid and protect the resources of government,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
