Flood victims hope for new homes
SOME of the families in KwaZulu-Natal who were displaced during last month’s floods have been moved to temporary residential units built by the government.
In Molweni, west of Durban, at least six houses have been built and handed over to displaced residents.
The remainder are staying in the Dinabakubo Community Hall.
Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Sifiso Ngcobo, who was staying in his brother’s one-room house when the floods hit, said he was forced to flee the home when cracks started to form.
“While I was busy helping my neighbours after their house collapsed, my little brother rushed to tell me that the house I was staying in had also collapsed,” he said.
Ngcobo, who is staying at the hall, said they had been promised housing by the municipality and the government; however, he only knew of one family that had been housed in a temporary unit.
Another resident who is staying at the hall, Smangele Ngubane, said she remained hopeful that she would receive accommodation.
Ngubane said she had suffered a double blow as her home had burnt down in March while she was away working in Johannesburg. She had travelled to Durban to assess the severity of the damage when she was caught in the floods and the little that had been left of her home was washed away.
“I am hopeful, when I go around the community I see people who have it worse than me. Some have lost loved ones. I know my turn will come to get a new home but for now I’m happy to see that there is progress.”
KZN Department of Human Settlements spokesperson, Mbulelo Baloyi, said some pockets of land in eThekwini owned by the government and the municipality had been identified for possible resettlement of those people living in community halls, places of worship, or with neighbours, friends and relatives.
He said the identified pockets of land were being assessed for their suitability for residential purposes as they had not been initially zoned for residential use.
“We have to factor in other critical social issues such as the availability of schools for displaced kids, as well as the distance to the workplaces of most of the displaced.”
Baloyi said construction had begun at some sites on April 22 in Sonkombo in Ndwedwe Local Municipality, eMalangeni in uMdoni Municipality, Nquthu Municipality, Molweni, west of Durban, and eMachobeni in Inanda, also within eThekwini Municipality.
A Molweni family who lost two people in the floods were recently handed the keys to their temporary home.
Ward councillor in Molweni, Nonsikelelo Msomi, said in the ward, 25 people had died and seven were still missing. She said there were six centres where people were sheltered.
Msomi said six temporary housing units had been built and she was still following up with the provincial government about when the rest of the houses would be built.