Flood victims in limbo as they wait for housing

ABOUT 20 people whose homes were destroyed in the heavy rains in April are still living in the Burlington Community Hall in Shallcross.

The heavy rains that fell in parts of KwaZulu-Natal claimed the lives of more than 70 people.

Homes were destroyed and flood victims were given temporary accommodation in halls.

About 200 people were moved to the hall in Shallcross, and since then, many have been able to carry on with their normal lives with the assistance from various government departments.

Zizipho Ncindi, one of the 20 residents still living in the hall, said: “There are children as young as 6 months old living here. As of last month, eThekwini Disaster Management stopped delivering food to us. We have a little rice left over. Some of the people go out and find piece jobs. They come back with whatever small items they can afford and we cook it together and eat. But with the rainy season coming, we may not be able to cook outside.”

Ncindi also said many residents had been unable to get their IDs.

“We were given temporary IDs which came just in time for the elections, but those have expired. When we went to Home Affairs to find out what was going on, we were told that monies had not been paid to them and they could not release our IDs,” she said.

Ncindi said she was concerned about the pregnant women and young children living under these conditions.

Lennox Mabaso, spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, said arranging homes for residents took time.

He said government departments had been hard at work to help the flood victims get back on their feet.

“We have already helped 5 000 people. It has been a lengthy process as people have complained about the areas in which land has been identified. Some have said the land is far from areas of employment,” Mabaso said.

He said R91 million had been released to help residents.

“Some people complained that they wanted to go back to the land where they lived previously, but this is not possible,” Mabaso said.

He said they were working to ensure residents who remained at the hall would be housed in due course.