The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal says it has officially submitted a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, regarding what it calls a humanitarian crisis at community halls, where flood survivors are accommodated.
Last month, the party conducted oversight visits at some of these halls across eThekwini. It is said that about 3 800 families have been living in 82 community halls since April’s floods.
Many of them are from informal settlements, that were badly hit by the floods. The DA’s provincial leader Francois Rodgers addressed the media in Durban.
“Some of the halls we visited had over 400 people sleeping in one room, that was men, women, and children. The one particular hall we visited, one of the flood victims had just given birth in that particular hall. So, that really is a situation that shocked us. And we then wrote to the Human Rights Commission. I lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission giving the evidence. The Human Rights Commission has acknowledged receipt. “
Flood victims accommodated at a shelter express concern over their living conditions:
Meanwhile, Rodgers raised concerns about the slow rollout of temporary residential units promised to flood victims. The party says four months after the floods, only 10% of the needed units have been delivered.
He says in the eThekwini metro, which was the hardest hit, only 2% have been delivered.
“The other thing that concerns us is that more than three months have gone past and people are still living in these unacceptable conditions. One looks at it in Ethekwini, where the crisis is at its worst, only 65 temporary housing units have been bought. Now, I can only assume it’s a lack of capacity, because when it comes to funding, if we have submitted a claim to the National Treasury with a business plan, then there should be no problem with funding. “
