Emergency accommodation efforts continue for victims of recent KZN floods

Human settlement minister Thembi Simelane says they are mooting plans to find permanent solutions for KwaZulu-Natal displaced flood victims, including engaging other state entities such as Transnet and Prasa in the province to come on board and assist.

Simelane visited displaced flood victims at transitional emergency accommodation in South Beach in Durban on Tuesday.

“Government cannot run its programmes if we are not sensitive to other people. It talks to our town planning. We are engaging other stakeholders, including Transnet and Prasa, to utilise some of the land that they are no longer using. This is part of our strategy going forward,” said Simelane.

Simelane was accompanied by human settlements MEC Siboniso Duma and eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba.

There are about 41 families housed in this facility, who found themselves homeless after their residences were destroyed by the flood. 

The recent floods in KZN have caused serious destruction with the provincial Cogta department confirming that 22 people have been killed so far.

Simelane quickly came to the defence of Xaba saying being at the helm of a growing metro where people migrated at a rapid pace was not easy. She was responding to a group of community members who are objecting to the displaced families being accommodated close to their homes. 

“What is a suggestion? You don’t want them because they are poor. I would not like to interpret it like that because these are vulnerable people. They are human beings, and their rights are enshrined in the constitution,” said Simelane.

She said as the government, they carry the responsibility to look for land closer to where they were residing. “This is so they will continue normally with their lives. As we speak, there are children who are not going to school, and some of them are going to miss examinations. Their lives have been disturbed,” said Simelane.

She said the engagement with the KZN community comes after she had handed over 900 houses in Midrand, Gauteng.

“Beautifully built houses. Who said there are going to be cheap because they are for poor people? I don’t understand but we will engage with our stakeholders and communities. Sometimes the uncertainty is as a result of a lack of understanding of government programs,” said Simelane.

The minister is concerned that some provinces such as the Free State, Western Cape and Gauteng, had not spent their budget allocations adequately.

“These funds were allocated for the various type of programmes, but they were not met. That’s when I said there is a disaster here let me use the excess funds. The challenges we have is that with the disasters following each other, we have not recovered from the April 2022 floods,” said Simelane.

Meanwhile, families who reside at the facility spoke of the anguish of not finding their loved ones. Jabulani Mdluli, 53, said they were still desperately searching and hopeful they will find his brother’s wife Zondeni Gcabane, 60, who was swept away by flood waters in Umlazi.

He said while they were grateful for the temporary accommodation courtesy of the city, but they were haunted by Zondeni’s disappearance.

TimesLIVE