Following the devastating floods that ravaged parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Nocks Seabi, has called for immediate action to unlock the Emergency Housing Response Fund to assist affected families.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo Independent Newspapers
Following the devastating floods that ravaged parts of KwaZulu-Natal last week, the chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements Nocks Seabi, has called for immediate action to unlock the Emergency Housing Response Fund to assist affected families.
Last week, heavy rainfall brought the province to a standstill, causing catastrophic damage to public infrastructure and homes, and claiming the lives of at least 11 people.
Seabi’s call comes in response to the ongoing crisis after previous concerns were raised by the committee in an oversight visit last October, where delays in accessing the fund were revealed.
Seabi called on the Department of Human Settlements, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Department of Human Settlements and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to ensure a strong collaborative response.
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“We are hopeful that the concessions made by the national department on the implementation of the fund will come in handy in the response to the current disaster. The delays witnessed previously, such as the verification of beneficiaries and assessment of damaged houses, which had taken 10 to 12 months or longer, should be a thing of the past going forward," Seabi said
The chairperson also called for enhanced building standards, urging that stronger oversight be implemented to ensure homes are built to withstand increasingly severe weather events.
Many homes are built on riverbeds and floodplains, making them vulnerable to frequently being washed away.
“In an environment of increasing environmental disasters, building standards and building materials should be such that they can withstand such disasters. Stronger monitoring and inspections should be the order of the day,” Seabi concluded.
Following the floods, Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane deployed a team of officials to assist with temporary solutions for affected households.
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