A S PART of government’s efforts to enhance its emergency housing response during disasters, the Minister of Human Settlements Mmamoloko Kubayi, together with Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete led a delegation of Members of the Executive Council from all nine provinces to eThekwini on 9 March.

The purpose of the visit was to inspect various sites being used to accommodate displaced flood victims in the province. Minister Kubayi said the visit will assist government to learn how to better respond to disasters. The delegation visited the O’Flaherty Transitional Emergency Accommodation, Klaarwater Temporary Residential Units, and the Kanku Road Housing Project. “We are happy that residents from the Isiphingo Transit Camp will be relocated from the conditions they are currently living under. The Kanku Road low-income Housing Development is nearing completion. The project is expected to yield 360 units with around 147 units already completed.

The R70 million project was launched in 2020 and is set to be completed in June this year,” said Minister Kubayi. He said the invasion of projects and unlawful occupation of units hinders government’s efforts to fasttrack the delivery of houses. “Among the issues we discussed was a strategy to prevent unlawful occupation and double dipping (one occupant receiving more than one housing unit). We have put  a system in place to ensure that these houses are allocated to the rightful beneficiaries,” he concluded. EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda was part of the delegation. He is happy that other provinces are learning from the City’s emergency disaster response, especially after the floods in April and May last year. He said the City closed all mass care centres housing displaced residents in December last year. There were 120 centres in the City.