Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube told delegates attending the ad hoc committee on flood disaster relief oversight visit in the province that building temporary housing shelters could result in the duplication of finances and slow down the pace of government interventions due to a shortage of funds.
The oversight visit was held at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel on Tuesday and will take three days.
Dube-Ncube said as the government it was their duty to provide support to flood victims so they get their lives back to normal. She added that this may include entering into discussions with owners of residential buildings or vacant buildings that could be used as a temporary intervention while the government continues working on a permanent housing solution.
“We need to plan better with the limited financial resources because building temporary housing shelters could result in the duplication of finances, therefore slowing down the pace of government interventions due to shortage of funds. We will continue discussions with eThekwini Municipality to evaluate their interventions as far as the housing of the flood disaster victims is concerned. We are on record indicating that we are in constant liaison with Chapter Nine institutions such as the SA Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Public Protector and the auditor-general,” she said.
In a presentation by Beryl Mphakathi, a deputy city manager of human settlements, engineering and transport at the eThekwini Municipality, the sleeping ware, food, water ablutions, electricity, safety, health care and capacity-building are provided to the shelters by donations and various organisations, including UN agencies.
She said 11 mass care centres have been closed after material distribution to 318 households. An additional eight mass centres were closed by families who relocated, which totals 19 mass care centres closed to date.
“Construction is underway in rural areas on 1 185 available sites; 134 temporary residential units (TRUs) are complete as of August 2022. Twenty BNG (Breaking New Ground) units (are) completed to date,” said Mphakathi.
“We want to ensure there is no space for unscrupulous companies and individuals who advance cash, not proof of quality – and capacity to perform as the basis of successful award of contracts related to flood interventions,” said Mphakathi.
Dube-Ncube said she has directed members of the executive council to prioritise the relocation of flood victims.
Daily News