Many have been left unimpressed by homes given to KwaZulu-Natal flood victims by media personality and businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize. 

On Monday, Mkhize and the provincial government handed over the first four houses to flood victims who lost their homes and belongings in Wyebank. 

Pictures shared online showed the homes are made of paving stones and bricks, usually used for driveways or exterior jobs, and come with a single bed and a shower.

Speaking at the opening of the homes, Mkhize called on other local business owners and women to help those affected by the floods. 

“Although we can't satisfy everyone, we are trying our best to help where we can. We call on other businessmen and women to come forward to lend a helping hand. This was called a state of emergency for a reason,” she said. 

Mkhize previously told City Press she would build 20 houses for some families left displaced and homeless by the devastating floods, and the labour would be done by prisoners. 

“It’s not the first time I am doing this with the department. They have prisoners who doing labour courses, including building, carpentry, plumbing and electricity. We are going to use some of those people with supervision by qualified personnel.

“This is part of their internship. It is a winning model because, at the end of the project, they are going to be given certificates of completion of work,” she said.

eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda applauded the resilience of people, highlighting the suffering they have gone through in the past few years, including flooding, Covid-19 and the July 2021 unrest and looting.

“We are a municipality that has faced all these things. This shows how resilient we are as people of eThekwini. The municipality rose from the challenges,” he said.

On social media, many users were left unimpressed with the finishing of the homes, saying they “felt cold”. 

They pointed out some pipes were exposed and the shower had no tiles or door.

Here is snapshot of some reactions: