The KwaZulu-Natal government is racing against time to find suitable accommodation for people left homeless by the recent floods as its budget to support people living in churches and halls is getting depleted.
The government is also having difficulty finding land.
Premier Sihle Zikalala yesterday said work was at an advanced stage to provide basic services, fix infrastructure and get all affected communities back on their feet following the floods that left a trail of damage in April.
Zikalala said the death toll now stands at 461 with 87 people still missing. There are 23 unidentified bodies.
A total of 27,069 households were affected by the floods with 8,584 houses totally destroyed and 13,536 partially destroyed.
Zikalala said government plans to accommodate more than 4,000 families in temporary residential units and remove them from halls, churches and schools.
“Provincial government is concerned about people continuing to live in shelters as this is not only badly affecting the lives of the victims but our social cluster department budget is now getting exhausted.
“The priority is to get communities back on their feet and for them to use their skills and talents to live and become productive, instead of living in shelters,” Zikalala said.
Currently, 206 temporary residential units have been built and more land parcels are being identified for this purpose.
Zikalala said four properties owned by Tongaat Hullet have been identified. Of the land identified in other parts of the province 258 land parcels do not have any geophysical constraints.
He said the challenge facing the province is that their wish is to move people to land that is about 5km from amenities such as schools and places of work.
Property owners are also trying to make a quick buck from the situation.
“Owners are doubling and tripling land prices when approached by government for rehousing of flood victims. Consequently, land has become a huge stumbling block to disaster intervention.
“Government has also noted with concern resistance from some established communities who are opposed to the resettling of flood victims on government-owned land next to their properties – under what is called ‘NIMBY’ or the ‘Not in My Backyard’ syndrome,” he said.
Zikalala said restoration of water and electricity infrastructure is at 90%. However, areas such as Shakaville and Lindelani are yet to get water due to plant repairs.
In eThekwini, 20 water tankers are servicing affected areas while 48 static tankers have been installed at strategic points where residents can go and collect water.
Gift of the Givers has also helped by donating 14 boreholes of which 11 have been drilled to provide water for cleaning, washing and other uses.
Meanwhile, R30m has been budgeted for the restoration work at uThongathi Water Treatment Works which is expected to be completed in September.
On business support, 394 enterprises have applied for assistance, which is currently valued at R196m.
Zikalala said provincial government has approved 730 key projects to be implemented through emergency procurement, which will include the closure of potholes and repairs to damaged roads.
A total of 49 bridges have been submitted to the department of public works’ Bailey Bridge Programme aimed at ensuring safe access to schools, clinics and police stations.
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