Drought-ravaged provinces could get up to R6bn in relief
Drought is badly affecting the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Gigaba said the national government would commit R6bn to help with drought interventions and infrastructure. He said the government would use the Expanded Public Works Programme to mitigate all serious economic effects of the drought, including the loss of jobs.
"Government is concerned by the potential job losses in vulnerable farming communities as a result of the drought. We are therefore exploring the option of partially mitigating losses by temporarily increasing intake in the Working for Water programme," he said.
The minister added: "To provide short-term assistance, this budget includes disaster relief grants for provinces and municipalities worth R473m in 2018-19. Other conditional grants can also be reprioritised to respond to disasters if necessary."
Source: BDpro