Durban - Opposition parties have urged the KwaZulu-Natal government and eThekwini Municipality to provide time frames on when flood victims will be moved to earmarked buildings in the city.
The DA and the IFP said yesterday they were thrilled that the government entities had finally listened to their recommendation to refurbish existing buildings to house the victims.
The municipality revealed that about 10 private and government-owned buildings were currently being assessed for feasibility of being converted for residential use, including the Transnet lodge in Montclair that was recently taken over by the government on a lease arrangement.
“We are glad that they are finally listening to opposition parties,” said the IFP.
Displaced flood victims were initially moved into mass care centres while the building of temporary residential units (TRUs) was taking place, however the process of building TRUs was delayed and resulted in flood victims staying in the mass shelters for five months, longer than the government had anticipated.
Progress has been particularly slow in Durban. Out of the 120 care centres the municipality started with, it has only managed to close 50.
This week the KZN Department of Human Settlements and eThekwini Municipality revealed that the city had identified private and government-owned buildings that would be renovated to provide a rental accommodation scheme, as a means to fast-track the process of moving people from care centres.
The department said the Rental Assistance Scheme (RAS) was proposed as a form of temporary emergency accommodation.
DA KZN spokesperson on Human Settlements Marlaine Nair said it was a recommendation from the DA that the municipality should look at assessing government-owned unused buildings to ascertain their suitability to house flood victims temporarily until they could receive their TRUs.
“Ultimately, we suggested this as a temporary measure until the government could provide temporary housing, or a permanent housing option.”
The IFP had also recommended the move from halls to government-owned and private buildings since April.
UMsinsi Wokuzimilela, the SA Native Movement, an organisation that was active in initially moving flood victims from Yellowwood Park into a Transnet building, said they welcomed the move and hoped to see the promises being put into action.
“We are not in competition with the government, however we push them to do their job, so we welcome the move that we have been calling for, for months,” said spokesperson Sbusiso Khumalo.
IFP Human Settlements spokesperson in KZN, Thokozile Gumede, reiterated Khumalo’s words, saying that as much as they commended the municipality on this move, they wanted the plan to be put in motion.
The DA’s Nair agreed that there needed to be “specific time frames on when they will deliver”.
“Various things need to be considered whenever additional people are moved into any area, one of them being whether the existing infrastructure is able to cater for more people, especially the sewer infrastructure,” she said.