Durban — Eight months after the April floods, not knowing that there would be May floods, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, eThekwini Municipality and Msunduzi Local Municipality are a step closer to closing all mass care centres, with more expected to be closed this week, before Christmas.
That was according to KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube who was providing an update on the relocation of flood victims to mass care centres and facilitating the movement of over 1 600 flood victims on Tuesday morning.
Dube-Ncube said they made a commitment that they would ensure that before Christmas all flood victims move out of mass care centres and are housed in decent accommodation.
“We have just processed a total of 1 046 families who were in mass care centres, and we are housing 531 of them here at this spacious Astra Building,” Dube-Ncube said.
“From the agony of being deprived of privacy and uncertainty, we have practically restored the dignity of our flood victims. The families will now be able to regroup and plot their future in a safe and habitable place.
“As government we have been hard at work to assist our communities to recover from the tragic events of the April and May 2022 floods. We announce today that one of the sad chapters to all those who lost their homes is being closed. In the next seven days there will be no flood victim living (in) a mass care centre in KwaZulu-Natal,” Dube-Ncube said.
She said they had mobilised all available resources and were undertaking every effort to ensure that as they rebuild and rehouse flood victims, no one was left behind.
“Three buildings are being made available today starting with this Astra Building in Russel Street, O’ Flaherty Building in Sydenham and Pinetown Student Village,” Dube-Ncube said.
“This will see a total of 1 046 community members who were accommodated at nine halls being moved to the decent accommodation under the Transitional Emergency Accommodation (TEA) programme.”
“The mass care centres that will be shut down as a result of today’s development are the Gospel Church, Chesterville, Mountview Hall, uMlazi K, Emaus, Tshelimnyama and Nazareth.”
Dube-Ncube said other relocations planned for this week were:
- Mpola Hall (195 people);
- Rurafo Hall (158 people);
- Isithundu Hill (199 people);
- Mariannridge (120 people); and
- Truro Hall in Pietermaritzburg (23 families).
“This is in addition to 191 people that are already at 120 O’ Flaherty Road TEA. In KwaDukuza Municipality last week, we closed five mass care centres and we are down to only four. All the four will also be closed by Monday next week as people are moving to TRUs. We are finalising the connection of services,” Dube-Ncube said.
“The only remaining mass care centre in Msunduzi will be closed this weekend as we move the families to Transitional Emergency Accommodation. We must hasten to raise a concern about the continued resistance by some community members of the Pietermaritzburg northern suburbs who on several occasions have obstructed the interventions to build TRUs and permanent houses for Truro Hall flood victims in Msunduzi.
“This is very clear. We have made many strides if you consider that over 14 449 people were displaced with 4 983 left totally homeless. Seven months later we are close to pronouncing that no flood victims will spend Christmas in a mass care centre.”
Dube-Ncube added: “The reality is that we are a province that is far better than the bleak situation of April and May 2022. We also note and appreciate the contribution by private sector partners such as Old Mutual Foundation and the Collen Mashawana Foundation as we are now certain that three permanent houses for eThekwini flood victims will be completed before Christmas. While these families are housed in Transitional Emergency Accommodation the process of preparing land for permanent development will be unfolding. To date 14 land parcels are undergoing Statutory Approval procedures such as EIAs, and SPLUMA Approvals.”
Meanwhile, in Pietermaritzburg, Msunduzi Local Municipality mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla, Ward 28 caretaker Mxolisi Mkhize and chief whip Sandile Dlamini joined city manager Lulamile Mapholoba and senior management engaged with the community of Ward 28.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the relocation of flood victims who are currently housed at Truro Hall following the devastating floods that left them homeless.
The municipality said the community raised their concerns about the land parcel for TRUs citing a number of reasons including their safety and the devaluation of their properties within that area.
Thebolla urged the community to allow the TRU construction to continue, adding that it would not be beneficial to human nature to have people staying in the hall with their families. The municipality is doing everything it can to provide human settlement services to the community.
“We urge residents to unite to restore dignity for those living at Truro Hall. By working together, we can make South Africa and especially Msunduzi a better place for everyone”, Thebolla said.
Daily News