Durban — “It is not gold, but it is decent shelter." These were the words of eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda during a site visit he made to witness the progress that had been made in relocating flood victims from mass care centres.
Kaunda was speaking at Conway Farm on Thursday, where the municipality acquired buildings to house 163 families from the oThongathi and La Mercy halls, as well as the remaining families from Caneland Training Centre.
The municipality said that, of the original 120 mass care centres occupied by the April and May 2022 flood victims, 62 had been closed through various interventions, which included supplying victims with building materials, leasing private buildings, using existing government buildings, and building temporary residential units.
It said the remaining 58 mass care centres, which were accommodating 3 448 people, would be cleared by December 15, 2022.
The municipality further stated that the city had allocated R38 million for 3 011 people who needed to be supplied with building materials, adding that to date 467 people from five mass care centres had been supplied with these items.
“Eight land parcels have also been identified to build permanent structures for flood victims, and we are pleased that earthworks have begun in these sites, and construction is expected to be completed in 2024. A total of 13 buildings have been identified and linked to mass care centres, and the process of moving people to these buildings is currently under way,” said Kaunda.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Nokuphila Dlamini, 39, said they were grateful to the municipality and the mayor for sticking to their promise of acquiring “proper shelters” for them.
Dlamini said no words or number of mouths could express their joy and relief.
“Not having a home and being stranded is not a good thing to experience. During the floods, we lost everything. I had to stand soaking wet outside from 10pm till morning, and still I had to plan. I saw myself as nothing and worthless. I questioned God's will. But today I am overjoyed. We are in buildings where, even if it rains, I don't have the fear of being flooded. I only realised it was raining this morning when I opened the window,” she said.
Jabulani Ntanzi, 60, said the place was much better compared with the halls, where they had no privacy.
“I cannot remember when was the last time I was able to lock the door and enjoy being alone with my thoughts freely. In the halls, we were sharing and had to ensure we looked after our belongings. Yet today I can lock my room and know they are safe, and every family has its own room,” he said.
Ntanzi added that they were, however, a bit worried about how the NGOs would reach them to assist them with their needs.
“They knew most people were unemployed. They catered for our needs, such as food and other things we needed. Now we are getting nothing. We are not even sure if they are aware of where we have moved to. But we cannot always complain. Having better shelter over our heads is priceless,” said Ntanzi.
Badelisile Mbatha, a 38-year-old mother of one and also a grandmother, said she could not explain the sense of relief she felt owing to the safety of the place.
“This is the best place we have ever been. Even the places we stayed in before the floods were not like this. This area is secured with fencing and has a lot of space for children to play. I am at peace. This really does give us hope that tomorrow will always be better than yesterday.”
Kaunda added that, although the relocation process had taken longer than anticipated, they were working tirelessly to ensure that all mass care centres would be closed and people moved to more family-friendly accommodation before Christmas.
He said the city also wanted to correct the misconception that nothing was being done to transfer flood victims to suitable housing.
“We want to warn communities to be aware of this deliberate misinformation campaign from various quarters, particularly leaders of the opposition parties. We are not resting on our laurels, and our teams are on the ground to assist flood victims. It is our mission to create a safe and healthy environment for all our residents, ensuring they regain their dignity,” he said.
The municipality further stated that it had a target of closing one mass care centre per week.
Daily News