Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has reported that natural disasters linked to climate change, including recent floods in the Eastern Cape, have severely strained her department's resources, with damages surpassing the entire financial year's budget allocation. The department's budget vote, which allocates R34 billion for the current financial year—90% of which will be transferred as grants to provinces and metros—was rejected by opposition parties including the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The DA has also accused Simelane of failing to lead the department effectively and has laid charges with the South African Police Service (SAPS) alleging that she fraudulently billed Eskom for more than R700,000 while working at a company named Vitrovian. Simelane has denied any knowledge of the investigation and stated she has not been informed by police or Eskom about the fraud case. Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Zolile Williams assured flood victims in Mthatha that the government plans to relocate homeless families to newly identified land and renovate partially demolished homes. Simelane has criticized political parties that opposed her department's budget vote amid the ongoing controversy.