Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has deployed a team from the Emergency Housing Unit — in collaboration with the department’s roving team — to support families impacted by the ongoing floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
During her two-day visit to the province on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Minister held discussions with provincial and local authorities to explore urgent human settlements interventions.
As part of these efforts, she announced several initiatives aimed at alleviating the immediate housing crisis for flood victims.
The interventions announced include the temporary accommodation of 225 residents from Ward 74 in Lamontville, who have been relocated to the Impala Hotel.
Simelane also announced plans to provide permanent housing for 229 families from Lamontville, who will be resettled on land owned by the eThekwini Municipality in Georgedale, near Hammarsdale.
“We will build Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) for these families, while permanent homes are being constructed. Additionally, 93 households will be supplied with building materials to help them begin rebuilding,” Simelane announced on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Simelane, accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma, visited the flood-affected Ncube and Nkwanyana families in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban.
The Ncube family, with six members, was forced to flee their home as three of their houses were completely submerged. The family is currently living together in a two-bedroom house.
Duma confirmed that an excavator has been deployed to clear rubble and waste from the area so as to unblock the drainage system. He said after discussions with Inkosi Makhanya, a suitable piece of land has been identified to relocate the Ncube family.
Simelane also visited the Ugu District Municipality to assess the extent of the flood damage in the region, with plans for further intervention in the coming days.
Unlocking emergency housing fund
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has called on the national Department of Human Settlements, KwaZulu-Natal’s Human Settlements Department, and the eThekwini Municipality to work together to address the devastation caused by the ongoing floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
Committee chairperson Nocks Seabi emphasised the immediate need to unlock the Emergency Housing Response Fund to provide critical support to the affected communities.
Seabi said during its oversight visit in October last year, the committee highlighted various concerns with delays to ensuring access to the fund for victims of floods.
He said it is in this context that impediments must be removed, so the fund can serves its purpose by being timeous and agile in assisting victims.
“In an environment of devastation and distress, government programmes must not be tied up in bureaucracy and territorial disputes that delay interventions. We are hopeful that the concessions made by the national department on the implementation of the fund will come in handy in the response to the current disaster.
“The delays witnessed previously, such as the verification of beneficiaries and assessment of damaged houses, which had taken 10 to 12 months or longer, should be a thing of the past going forward,” Seabi said in a statement this week.
Seabi called for enhanced monitoring of building standards, as regulated by many laws, including the Housing Consumer Protection Act, and the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act to ensure that houses are able to withstand the elements.
“In an environment of increasing environmental disasters, building standards and building materials should be such that they can withstand such disasters. Stronger monitoring and inspections should be the order of the day,” the chairperson said.
Seabi extended his heartfelt condolences to the people that have passed on during the floods, which continue to wreak havoc in the province.
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