Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements Department has said the process of buying land for people displaced in last year’s April floods is at an advanced stage.
The floods claimed more than 400 lives, left more than 40 000 people displaced and destroyed more than 12 000 homes as well as other infrastructure such as roads, health centres, schools.
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi yesterday conducted inspections at sites being used to temporarily accommodate flood victims.
During the inspection in Klaarwater, Dassenhoek, the province’s Human Settlement’s MEC, Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, said they were fast-tracking the process of buying land so permanent houses could be built for flood victims.
He said the process of buying land in La Mercy, north of Durban, was at the final stage.
Mahlaba said the process had been delayed as some of the land fell under tribal authority and they were in talks with traditional leaders regarding this.
He assured the community of Klaarwater that most of the people housed in temporary shelters would be moved to permanent homes by December.
“We are in the process of finalising buying land in La Mercy. We are in the final stage of doing that because we want to make sure that our people are safe and you cannot be safe and have security and comfort if you do not have shelter.
“We are continuously meeting with communities and we have a good relationship with traditional leaders. We have engaged with them and we all agreed that what we need to do to go forward is to make sure there is enough land for people.”
Kubayi stressed the importance of not building in wetland and floodplain areas.
She said they are looking forward to resolving the flood victims’ problems completely, citing the magnitude of last year’s floods and the different challenges they had encountered.
Kubayi said eThekwini already had an existing land shortage and they had to first find appropriate land that would accommodate those displaced by floods.
“We have learnt the lesson from last year, we have tried to ensure that we start looking for permanent solutions and long-term solutions.
“National Treasury has said to us we need to be proactive, so they have given us some resources in terms of capacity that we are putting in nationally.
“We are also starting to co-ordinate; we have taken the responsibility of co-ordinating the interventions at the national level so that there is speedy recovery, but we are working together with the provinces to ensure that there is intervention.
“We do not want to see people living in community halls because they do not give dignity and privacy,” she said.
Nonhlanhla Ngema, one of the flood victims, who lives with her husband and three children in a two-room temporary shelter, said they hoped that they would have permanent homes.
“Our home was washed away by the floods last year and we moved here in October. I am now hopeful that we will get permanent homes,” she said.
Nelisiwe Ntshobane, who lives with her husband and one child in the temporary facility, said the floods had completely changed their lives and she urged the government to speed up the process of buying land to build permanent homes.
“When it rains I get worried about flooding. I will be very happy if they get us a permanent home as soon as possible,” said Ntshobane.