Government leaving KZN flood victims in the lurch

28 June 2022

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Emma Louise Powell MP, as well as photos here, here, here and here.

The DA will be requesting the National Minister for Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, to urgently convene a multi-stakeholder housing delegation, led by independent experts, to intervene in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and ensure that communication systems are put in place, and sustainable response plans are prioritized.

We will also be referring the current living conditions of the flood victims to the South African Human Rights Commission.

This week, the DA conducted an oversight visit to halls in KZN still occupied by victims of the April floods.

Numerous halls across the province are still housing desperate residents who are now impatiently waiting on government’s seemingly non-existent intervention.

At KwaDabeka, Ward 19, in eThekwini, where more than 115 victims are still waiting for help, residents informed the delegation that their ward councillor has not visited them in two months.

Whilst no government officials nor their elected ward councillor have been in communication with the flood victims, the local ANC branch has been demanding lists of names of those waiting for assistance. This is likely so they can control any future allocations on the basis of ANC patronage. There is absolutely no place for the involvement of any political party in the administration of emergency housing opportunities.

At Truro Hall, where over 70 victims of flooding in Reservoir Hills have been accommodated, residents have been left to fend for themselves. In the absence of any coordinated response from the provincial and local Human Settlements Departments, they are now solely reliant on the local DA councillor to provide food and gas sourced from local donations, but these resources are fast drying up.

Whilst one site in Banana City, Reservoir Hills, has been identified for temporary residential accommodation, planning approvals and construction are yet to commence. An existing transit camp that could temporarily provide more dignified accommodation to flood victims has stood empty for months and was last week illegally invaded.

At the Tshelimnyama Community hall, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been deployed to maintain peace and security due to on-going volatility in the area. Flood victims and soldiers alike have been without working toilets and water for a week. The local steering committee told our delegation of the freezing conditions at the halls in the evenings, which combined with their lack of access to water or working toilets, is now resulting in a steep rise in communicable diseases.

It is unacceptable that 12 weeks after the floods occurred, residents and local DA councillors – who are the only visible resources on the ground – have no information as to the future of these displaced communities. This is as a result of nothing other than a lack of coordination and a failure of those responsible to put in place response plans with any level of urgency.

Issued by Emma Louise Powell, DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, 28 June 2022