(a) Section 56 (2) (b) of the Disaster Management Act (Act 57 of 2002) places the onus for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure on the organ of state responsible for maintaining such infrastructure. The Eastleigh solute channel belongs to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and therefore the responsibility for the repairs lies with the municipality. The Department of Cooperative Governance referred the matter to the municipality through the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance Province and a response is as follows:
The actual date for the repair of the channel is not available. The municipality indicates that specialist consultants were appointed to undertake investigations on the stability of the structures, the actual repair work that require to be undertaken and the designs for remedial measures including the costing for the repair work. It is indicated that the appointed specialist consultants were issued with instructions to proceed with work on 04 July 2017 and completed the assigned work on 31 August 2017.
(b) According to the municipality, the estimated cost received from the consultants after investigations and preliminary designs for the repair works amounts to R111.5 million.
(c) According to the municipality, the date for the completion of the repair work is not available since the repair work has not started as the municipality is currently studying the report and recommendations from specialist consultants.