DURBAN - AS thousands of community members left destitute by the recent floods in eThekwini wait in crowded shelters, it has emerged that the process to relocate them to temporary housing is moving at a snail’s pace.
The Human Settlements Portfolio Committee was recently informed that only a small portion of the temporary houses had been built.
Floods in April left many communities devastated as it washed away homes and left thousands destitute. Many people are living with relatives, and the less fortunate ones are living in community halls and other shelters.
The government promised to build temporary residential units (TRU) to resettle some of the affected residents.
A report on the matter detailing what has been achieved, delivered to the portfolio committee recently, stated that the pace of delivery of these housing was very slow.
The department admitted the slow progress, saying only 108 TRUs had been completed to date.
“The pace is very slow, especially in areas under eThekwini, Ugu and KwaDukuza, as a result of land issues which relate to sites (unsuitable for building) and other soil related conditions. This requires alternate sites and further assessments,” it said.
Members of the committee expressed concern about the slow progress.
“A recent KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements portfolio committee meeting has revealed that only 2% (108) temporary residential units (TRUs) of the almost 5 000 required following the recent floods have been delivered to date,” said DA committee member Marlaine Nair.
“This while the department has only procured 1 810 (36%) of the total number of TRUs needed and is only aiming to deliver 1 170 (23%) temporary houses by the end of July.
“The DA is alarmed by this latest information. Our province is facing a major crisis, particularly as winter approaches and the threat of another Covid-19 surge looms.
“In eThekwini – the epicentre of the floods – where the requirement for temporary housing is the highest at 3 000, only 1% (21) TRUs have been delivered, and just 600 (20%) procured, to date.”
She said the portfolio committee members were made aware of challenges, including the lack of usable land, particularly in eThekwini.
“These findings come despite the department’s R500 million budget having been re-prioritised to provide emergency housing, as well as pieces of land having been bought to house the TRUs,” she said.
“Thousands of desperate displaced citizens are looking to KZN’s government for urgent temporary housing,” she said.
She said the DA has already proposed that the provincial government look into the use of habitable government-owned buildings that are not in use and use these facilities to house those who are awaiting TRUs.
Speaking on why the department had opted for TRUs instead of formal houses, Human Settlements MEC Jomo Sibiya said they were quicker to build as a house could take up to a year to build.
He said each TRU costs about R70 000 and is the quickest intervention, and the department had used them in the past to respond to other similar disasters in the province.
Sibiya said his department was also acquiring pieces of land that would be used for the rebuilding of proper homes.