Programme to sanitise informal settlements
THE statistics of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlement indicate that there is a total of 269 337 shacks in this province of which 208 434 are in eThekwini then seconded by uMgungundlovu with 39 394.
As part of the measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with the Department of Human Settlement on programme that makes it easier to clean residential areas, especially informal settlements.
These departments are working in partnership with uMgungundlovu District and the family of its local municipalities. District Mayor Councillor Thobekile Maphumulo said: “The areas we are prioritising for the sanitisation is Jika Joe, Sacca and Merrivale because they have a large number of shacks and we don’t want people to end up spreading this virus.”
She said what is of paramount importance is for the public to go back to using the trusted and proven hygiene practices such the regular washing of their hands. She said they must also follow the guidelines issued by the Department of Health.
Mr Thokozani Magagula from the Department of Human Settlement said: “The Department handed out bars of soap to the residents. We also sanitised around the informal settlements and Msunduzi Municipality installed a static tank in order to ensure easy access to water because it is a backbone of hygiene.”
He said they handed out bars soap to 3000 households in Jika Joe, 4000 in Sacca and 250 to Merrivale residents. Each household received two bars of soap.
Magagula said the Jika Joe informal settlement covers a distance of seven hectares and that resulted in the cleaning team using 581 litres of sanitiser to cover every square metre. In Sacca, which is about 10 hectares, 880 litres of sanitiser were used while Marrivale was covered with just 124,5 litres.
“The total amount that was used for these three areas is R201 000,” he said.
Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) Councillor Mr Dennis Ntombela said: “This epidemic requires all of us as leaders to work together so that we can deliver on what is expected of us. We must put our political differences aside and work towards protecting the lives of God’s children.
“Our organisation is also working with the Government in this. You will remember that the IFP also made a contribution to the Solidarity Fund because we also want to help the people of South Africa.”
Sacca’s Cllr Ms Sandy Lyne said it is difficult for the Municipality to develop the informal settlement and “the challenge is that the land is owned by someone else.”
She said they welcomed the provincial government’s efforts to protect even those living in informal settlement from Covid-19. “The problem is that we don’t know when we will finally be able to eradicate the informal settlement here in Sacca. We can see that the Municipality is trying even at Jika Joe because there is a construction of proper housing for them.”
Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla expressed his gratitude to the provincial government for reaching out to the people of Msunduzi, especially those living in poverty, to ensure that they are also protected from Covid-19.
“Our aim is to flatten the curve where we no longer get any new infections reported so those who are not infected yet must be assisted to stay that way.”