Durban — Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said her department was aware of some of the April 2022 flood victims who had still not received assistance. Kubayi said her department was working with the provincial government on the matter.
Kubayi said their challenge was that the people who were staying in halls were the only ones who registered to get assistance. However, other victims were living with their families and neighbours.
Kubayi said that the people who were not in halls had not registered at first, so the updated total number of victims came in late.
“The focus started with those who had registered initially. We have done a recall and I had a meeting with my team on Tuesday night; now I have the figures in terms of what happened,” said Kubayi.
Kubayi added they would now go to the National Treasury to request funds because the financial year had ended.
“The province does have some particular amount, I think about R36 million that is still remaining to be able to respond to those disasters, but we need to request the Treasury to give us permission to use it,” explained Kubayi.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) head of communications, Nonala Ndlovu, said they had assessed the damages caused by heavy rains and strong winds that devastated parts of the province this week and had compiled a preliminary report.
Ndlovu said the Provincial Disaster Management Centre had swiftly responded to incidents, dispatching disaster teams to assess the extent of the destruction caused by the severe weather conditions in the Durban Metro and Ugu District Municipality, on the South Coast.
The areas severely affected by the heavy rains and strong winds include Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Pinetown and surrounding areas, Folweni and the north of Durban. In the Ugu District, the hardest-hit areas were Umzumbe, Umdoni and uMuziwabantu.
“The preliminary reports indicate extensive damage to road infrastructure, electricity, sewer systems and housing. Many houses suffered roof damage, collapsed walls and flooding,” she said.
Ndlovu said that four people had been confirmed dead. Three casualties were reported in the eThekwini Metro, while one person remained missing. Additionally, one fatality and four injuries were reported in the Ugu District Municipality.
Houses in eThekwini Metro bore the brunt of the devastation, with about 70 homes destroyed and a further 110 partially damaged. This has affected 552 people, leaving 151 individuals homeless.
In the Ugu District Municipality, one house was destroyed, while three others were partially damaged, which affected 29 people. One person was left homeless.
Schools have been significantly affected by the adverse weather conditions. The Pinetown District has reported damages to 10 schools, and further assessments were under way in the affected districts to determine the full extent of the damage, said Ndlovu.
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