Ladysmith has long endured severe flooding, causing extensive damage within its boundaries and tragic loss of life due to recurrent flash floods that disrupt the community. Yet, hope emerges as the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN CoGTA) has stated it will implement measures to curb future flooding in the town.
In his budget speech, KZN CoGTA MEC Buthelezi announced the establishment of an intergovernmental task team in early 2024, formed in response to Ladysmith’s flash floods.
As explained by the MEC, the team was tasked with addressing immediate damages and conducting a thorough review of the department’s collaborative mitigation strategies for the region.
“The purpose was to assess and identify the causes of the increase in floods in the area, to produce strategic mitigation plans. We were alarmed that despite the government’s investment in the construction of Qedusizi retention dam in the 1990s, there appeared to be an increasing number of floods in the past 5 years or so. The Task team has been able to confirm the functionality of the dam infrastructure but has noted that there are other weaknesses in the overall stormwater management system for the wider area,” said the MEC.
Based on these findings, MEC Buthelezi confirmed that the identified deficiencies are being addressed through coordinated efforts across all three spheres of government. “We will work intensely in 2025-2026 fiscal year to support the municipality to implement the recommended plans. The need for the province to focus on municipal capacity and resources and plans to effectively manage storm water, catchments, and infrastructure systems in built-up areas will be led by COGTA in the coming fiscal year. We will be supporting municipalities to identify the resources, both financial and capacity expertise to give effect to improved storm water management,” said the MEC.
As attention sharpens on Ladysmith’s persistent flooding challenges, it is noteworthy that KZN CoGTA has previously intervened, allocating R11,775,000 to the Alfred Duma Municipality from the Municipal Disaster Response Grant (MDRG) for flood mitigation measures.
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As Ladysmith confronts its enduring flooding challenges, government efforts need and must change the fate of this Northern KwaZulu-Natal town. The catastrophic Christmas Eve 2023 floods left a profound impact into 2024, prompting action as search and rescue teams recovered four bodies in Ladysmith, raising the death toll to 10, with six individuals still missing by late December 2023.
Then on 23 January 2024, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Thembi Nkadimeng declared the uThukela District, encompassing Ladysmith, a disaster area amid widespread flooding, securing funding to address infrastructure damages estimated at R2 billion, a critical step to restore stability in Ladysmith and its surrounding communities.
However, recognising that infrastructure such as the Qedusizi Dam alone is insufficient, and acknowledging the broader shortcomings in stormwater management, there is now a clearer, more strategic reassessment of government efforts being brought to the forefront.
The establishment of the intergovernmental task team and the planned support for municipalities in the 2025–2026 fiscal year suggest a more structured and coordinated attempt to fix long-standing issues. While it remains to be seen how effectively these plans will be carried out considering the continuous issues on the subject, time will tell
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