• Replies reveal lack of alignment, confusion over roles, responsibilities
• Lack of clarity over climate funding
• KZN’s people must be protected against climate change related disasters.
Please note Hannah Lidgett, MPL sound bite in English
Written parliamentary replies (view here and here) to questions by the Democratic Alliance have revealed significant challenges in the effective roll-out of KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s) climate change response.
This includes a lack of alignment between government departments tasked with climate change response, along with confusion in their respective roles and responsibilities. Given KZN’s vulnerability to climate shocks – and the impact on residents – this is deeply troubling.
While the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) confirms that it leads the technical coordination of the Act, the division of responsibilities between EDTEA, the Office of the Premier (OTP) and Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) has still not been formally settled.
Of particular concern is the lack of clarity around climate funding. Replies from EDTEA and the OTP provide different under-expenditure figures for 2025/26 – R3.3million from EDTEA and R1.3million from the OTP.
Both replies attribute underspending to poor municipal response despite local government being directly responsible for protecting residents. This red flag must be urgently addressed. The DA calls on EDTEA, the OTP and COGTA to draft a clear plan to assist municipalities that are failing to access or implement available climate funding.
Further key questions by the DA, regarding the Premier’s Intergovernmental Forum, KZN’s climate budget and climate-related spending across other government departments also remain unanswered. Meanwhile, it appears that the OTP copied and pasted EDTEA responses, not realising that they had left comments such as “OTP to respond to questions” in their answers. This unprofessional response reveals an apathy towards accountability on a serious issue.
KZN’s people must be protected against climate change related disasters.
The DA urgently calls for;
– Finalisation of the draft position paper underpinning KZN’s institutional framework
– Release of the KZN institutional framework
– An account of climate expenditure and underspending and;
– A consolidated provincial climate budget.
As a constructive partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA is committed to working towards an effective roll-out of climate change response – as per the mandate set out in the Climate Change Act.