Department of Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma.
The DA spokesperson on Human settlement has welcomed the commitment by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Thami Ntuli to ensure that the 1 115 families who remain displaced after the province’s devastating 2022 floods are finally properly housed.
The pledge was made during the Premier’s State of the Province Address (Sopa) last week. According to the premier, these families are still living in TEA (Transitional Emergency Accommodations), flats rented for them since then.
Riona Gokool, the DA spokesperson on Human Settlements, said the government should assist those displaced by floods.
Until very recently, some families were still being housed in community halls under unacceptable conditions which included men, women and children all living in the same space.
Earlier oversight inspections conducted by the DA further revealed that some halls lacked privacy, ablution facilities and electricity.
The DA urged the KZN’s Department of Human Settlements, under MEC Siboniso Duma, to: investigate alternate housing methods; ensure that land is utilised effectively, efficiently, and innovatively; conduct stringent oversight on contractors and ensure accountability for sub-par and shoddy workmanship.
Also, to ensure that housing is built better to withstand the impacts of climate change; and create a differentiated housing list to assist government to meet the needs of specific beneficiary groups through the appropriate mix of fully-subsidised housing, self-help initiatives, in-situ upgrades, site-and-service schemes and social housing.
KZN’s newly created government of provincial unity needs to ensure greater emphasis on improving the socio-economic circumstances of the province’s people, the DA said.
“This must be at the forefront of all it does, to ultimately allow more people to be better placed to acquire their own properties.
“The DA will continue to closely monitor progress in terms of the many families who remain affected after the 2022 floods. They deserve the dignity of proper housing.”
The Mercury