Scramble to relocate Umlazi residents affected by recent heavy rains as more rains forecast

The department of human settlements is in the race against time to move the latest victims of the recent heavy rains in Umlazi, south of Durban, to temporary accommodation — with more rain forecast at the start of May.

This was after hundreds of residents from Umlazi’s H section were left homeless when at least 56 households were damaged and others collapsed following heavy downpours of the past week.

Residents who spoke to TimesLIVE on Wednesday explained that they first experienced soil movement in the week leading up to the Easter weekend, which resulted in houses and yards starting to develop cracks from the ground.

“The cracks got worse as time went on — houses began tilting precariously to one side and the foundations became unstable. People were moving out one by one depending on the situation but the rainfall last week just made things worse and, come Friday, houses were collapsing in their numbers,” said Sthembiso Xaba, a resident.

Xaba’s two bedroom house that he shared with his wife and four children was among the first ones to collapse in the area, situated on the bank of Umlazi River.

“It was worse in my case because aside from the visible soil erosion that we were all exposed to, there was a municipal water pipe that burst from the areas in the upper parts and water from there pushed more soil down to my house which accelerated the damage and led to its collapse.”

Xaba has since built a corrugated-iron shack in the same yard that the family share in the meantime.

Also living in the same yard is Cebolethu Shinga who said his family is all squeezed in the one side of the main house that has not suffered damage as yet.

“My house was also affected but we’re still able to use a part of it for now. I don’t know what will happen the next day. We’re living in constant fear, together with my children.”

Shinga believes that the number of affected houses is way more than the 56 that have been reported thus far.

“There is close to 100 houses that have been affected but the extent of the damage differed house by house and families were moving out one by one, depending on their situation. I think the 56 is the number of those that collapsed over the weekend but other families had already moved out by then.”

Some families have sought shelter with their relatives, neighbours who were not affected and others, especially the elderly who are not working and children, as a result of the extended school holidays, have moved to the rural areas.

Siphelele Ngcobo said some of the bigger families have had to accept living apart in the area as they cannot all be accommodated by single families so are living in different households.

Ngcobo said that was one of his main fears when their house as well as an outside building collapsed. His family of over 15 members are now renting a smaller house.

“We have had to adjust a lot because there’s many of us; from our mom, us as five siblings and none of us has a single child we each have two or more. We are all sharing a very small house now. Now we have no choice but watch our home slowly descend to nothing,” he said.

Xaba and Shinga said they would not object to relocation even if it was to a rural area but asked that it be a place with basic services.

“The safety of our families and a roof over our heads are the main priorities, everything else comes after,” said Xaba.

Ngcobo requested that their relocation be expedited before lives are lost.

“We’ve seen in other disaster-stricken areas where government promises to move people and be slow in doing so but at least they knew about it before the loss of lives and we’re pleading with them that they move faster before any death. There are elderly and newborn babies in this houses that are collapsing.”

Human settlements minister Thembi Simelane led a ministerial visit to the area on Wednesday, accompanied by provincial MEC Siboniso Duma and eThekwini municipal manager Musa Mbhele.

Simelane said the soil erosion and soil movement were part of the inclement weather patterns that will continue in an area that is on the river banks.

“The prediction we’re having from weather service that looks into the global outlook of inclement weather patterns, particularly in the Umlazi and Lamontville side of the eThekwini, is that it will continuously rain,” she said.

She issued a directive that the affected residents be moved to temporary accommodation within the next two days, while working at a permanent solution.

“We’re currently working on procuring temporary residential units (TRUs) for them to be relocated because we’re still anticipating rains towards the beginning of May so that those rains don’t find them in the situation that they are in today and then we will take the process of discussion and relocation further,” she said.

“The procurement of TRUs is happening as we speak and we’re hopeful that as the process gets to be concluded by the end of the day, tomorrow they should be starting to move people to them.”

She said she can’t confirm when they will be relocated permanently because that process often proves laborious.

“You can’t put a timeline into engagements hence I’m saying it’s a two-way process: you have to respect and engage thoroughly, with understanding, with those you’re supposed to relocate and equally engage with those who are supposed to understand that there are people who are coming.”

TimesLIVE