The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, will officially announce the disbursement of the Municipal Disaster Response Grant and the Disaster Recovery Grant to provinces and municipalities across the country. These allocations are intended to bolster immediate relief and recovery measures in communities affected by recent disasters.

This intervention follows a series of destructive incidents that have been formally classified and declared as national disasters, as per Section 23(3) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002). The release of funds is made under Section 25(3)(a) of the Division of Revenue Act, 2023 (Act No. 5 of 2023), as amended by the Division of Revenue Amendment Act, 2023 (Act No. 24 of 2023).

The announcement forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure an adequate and timely response to the devastating weather events of April 2025, which significantly affected several provinces, most notably the Eastern Cape. In addition to addressing the damage caused by these events, the grants will support broader recovery interventions aimed at restoring essential services and the dignity of affected communities.

To ensure the integrity and effectiveness of this funding, strict accountability mechanisms will be implemented to guarantee that the allocated resources are used solely for their intended purposes. Monitoring and reporting frameworks will be enforced in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to uphold transparency and good governance.

This intervention reflects government’s commitment to moving from policy deliberation to decisive action and to building a resilient, responsive, and inclusive system of local governance that places the needs of communities at the centre of development.

The announcement will be made on the sidelines of the Third G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group Meeting, to be held under the auspices of South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The meeting is guided by the Presidency’s core themes of Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability, all of which are reflected in the purpose and intent of these grant allocations.

Media briefing details

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 07 July 2025
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 10:00 – 12:00
𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲: Sandton
International Convention Centre

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗲𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀:
Ms. Pearl Maseko-Binqose
Media Liaison Officer for the Minister of COGTA
+27 (82) 772 1709

Mr. Legadima Leso
COGTA Head of Communications
+27 (66) 479 9904

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