Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal government and the eThekwini Municipality have implemented immediate relief for the Kenville residents whose 237 informal dwellings were destroyed by fire.
The fire, which claimed the life of a pregnant mother, Nomthandazo Dawodi, 30, broke out in the early hours of Sunday.
Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said the building material would be delivered by the latest on Thursday to rebuild the 237 informal dwellings destroyed by the fire.
Duma visited the area with eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba and deputy mayor Zandile Myeni.
“Building materials will be arranged for families totalling more than 200. These families were affected in the past but their profiling took a long time to complete. eThekwini Municipality together with the Gift of the Givers have arranged blankets, mattresses and food for families,” Duma said.
“The Office of the Mayor is assisting the family of the deceased with funeral arrangements; the Department of Education is ensuring that learning for some of the 89 children is not interrupted; the Department of Health is ensuring access to quality health care through a mobile clinic; and the Department of Social Development is providing relief vouchers and counselling to the families.”
The Home Affairs Department was assisting with issuing temporary ID documents and other documents.
The long-term plan was to ensure that all families were relocated to suitable land where the government and the City would build decent houses.
Some of the informal settlements razed by the fire were inaccessible and had been built on unsuitable land without proper planning, Duma said.
“We are searching for vacant land to build houses for these families. Homes in poor terrain can be easily washed away during heavy rains. This also applies to those who reside near rivers and waterways. With extreme weather patterns caused by climate change, our main goal is to save innocent lives,” Duma said.
Myeni said the City had garnered support from various stakeholders, including provincial and national government, to provide relief to displaced residents. As part of the City’s interventions, temporary shelter had also been provided.
“Municipal units, stakeholders, government institutions, and non-profit organisations are distributing family parcels, which include food, blankets and mattresses,” Myeni said.
Temporary shelters had been erected to assist displaced families.
On Tuesday, Premier Thami Ntuli said they were planning on doing more than providing temporary structures, by permanently solving the issue of this informal settlement by providing them with adequate housing.
Ntuli was accompanied by Edtea MEC Reverend Musa Zondi, Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, Finance MEC Francois Rodgers, Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni KaMadlopha-Mthethwa, Xaba, Myeni and NPOs on a visit to the fire-ravaged Kenville informal settlement.
Buthelezi said the fire had affected the province greatly and they collaborated with the municipalities to address the matter. The intervention of the government was required to meet the scale of the effect of the fires.
Rodgers said the disaster relief fund has no funds to meet the fire effects. The national government would be engaged to understand the critical need for funding to meet the disaster damage.
Meanwhile, fire victim Dawodi’s partner, Thulani Mhlongo, told the Daily News’ sister publication Isolezwe that he suspected foul play in her death. He said there had not been any electrical faults recently and the cables were in good condition.
Dawodi did not cook in her room, she only used the electricity for lights, he said. He was shocked to hear that the door was shut so tight that it was difficult to enter, he said.
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