Maverick Citizen

Relocated to ‘unbearable’ shelters, 2022 KZN flood victims now fear eviction

Each room at Marianridge shelter houses about 10 people, some of whom are strangers, including both males and females, grouped randomly to accommodate as many people as possible. (Photo: Supplied)

By Naledi Sikhakhane and Michelle Banda

7 Nov 2024

The government committed to caring for those displaced in the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods. But the shelters they’ve been placed in have sewage on the floors, mould on the walls and mixed genders of all ages living in single rooms. Now they say they face potential eviction.

Communities in KwaZulu-Natal still grappling with the aftermath of the 2022 floods are concerned that they won’t have anywhere to live when contracts with landlords at temporary emergency accommodation sites come to an end in December 2024.

The devastating floods claimed 459 lives, displaced more than 40,000 people and left 63 unaccounted for. A R5.8-billion budget was allocated in the aftermath of the floods.

Despite the KwaZulu-Natal government’s assurances of ongoing support and maintenance for affected communities, survivors say they’re living in poorly maintained shelters.

Following the floods, Daily Maverick understands that the government signed contracts with private building owners due to a lack of available temporary emergency accommodation and essentially agreed to pay rent on behalf of those who were displaced.

Landlords, particularly in the Durban area, threatened evictions on 15 December, alleging that the municipality had failed to meet payment obligations stipulated in their contracts, with arrears in one case reportedly reaching R6-million.

After the 2022 floods hit KZN, the worst-affected people from Umlazi, Pinetown, Marianhill and other surrounding areas were provided with shelter. More than two years later, they’re still in the shelters in unsanitary and unsafe conditions and facing possible eviction. A new plan for where they will be housed has not been communicated.

Daily Maverick visited three shelters, all in similarly poor conditions. It’s unclear how many shelters have been contracted for temporary housing and officials did not respond to requests for details.

There were about 10 people to a room, some of whom were strangers, including both males and females, grouped randomly to accommodate as many people as possible. Each shelter had its own set of challenges, but the overall concern now is that the eThekwini Municipality contract for the shelters comes to an end on 15 December. Residents say they want to be moved to houses.

Most people in the shelters lived on land they couldn’t rebuild on. Some lost their homes and loved ones.

Repeated trauma

In December 2022, then eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city “kept our promise” to restore dignity to flood victims”. He said 120 “mass care centres” housing 8,541 families had been closed.

When closing the mass transit camps, the city said it had provided some families with materials to rebuild, as well as “the extension of transit camps, provision of transitional emergency accommodation, leasing of private buildings, acquiring private buildings, the use of government buildings, and the construction of temporary residential units.”

Flood victims say living in these temporary shelters provided by the government is unbearable.

kzn flood shelters eviction Each room at Marianridge shelter houses about 10 people, some of whom are strangers, including both males and females, grouped randomly to accommodate as many people as possible. (Photo: Supplied)

Sibongile Mkhize lives in the Astra building in Central Durban. She helped lead a march on 15 May 2024, demanding housing as previously promised.

“The conditions in these shelters are not good for any person to live under. People are getting ill and even dying there, some from illnesses that are a result of the floods, some from the living conditions. We have had waves of mild diseases like measles, chicken pox, and pink eye. We had to ask the building manager to open up the windows that are sealed shut to have ventilation to avoid the spread of diseases,” said Mkhize.

Mkhize lives with her two children, aged nine and 18. She is employed and said this made her conditions better than those who were unemployed and who barely received assistance after they had been placed in the shelter.

A group of residents of the Marianridge shelter gathered in a large group of more than 50 people to speak to Daily Maverick. Their message was clear: “The living conditions are unbearable here; we just want to go, we want our own houses.”

In the yard at Marianridge on 25 October, Daily Maverick saw water pouring from an unseen source. Four days later, images of sewage in the passages and residents’ rooms were shared by residents with Daily Maverick. This is one of the multiple challenges at Marianridge, including having their water and electricity shut off randomly.

Residents estimate the Marianridge shelter houses 150 families, which range from family members of three to 12 each.

The building’s managers, who did not want to be named, said the municipality had not paid them for months. They said they were now responsible for maintenance costs, but said they would not switch off electricity and water again.

“Our time here is coming to an end, we have been discarded here, and there are no meetings or updates on where we will be taken. We have been promised multiple different houses in different places around Pinetown and Isipingo.

“We lost everything and lost families in cruel ways, and we still don’t know where their bodies are. Life here is hard, we are a large group of strangers,” said a 57-year-old resident who asked Daily Maverick not to use her name.

She lived in KwaSanti in Pinetown and was displaced with her family of seven.

The residents said they last heard from government officials from early April to May 2024 during election season, when promises of housing were made.

The KZN Department of Human Settlements had promised that R4.3-billion and 13 parcels of land had been identified to build houses for flood victims. Human settlements and public works MEC Sipho Nkosi visited the victims in shelters in Pinetown and Durban in August 2023 to deliver an update on plans for permanent accommodation.

Lack of services

Zanele Gumede, 35, who lives with her husband, said, “If you would come into my room you would close your nose, the room is black with mould, there is so much water on the walls. I live here with my husband and rent it for my child in high school so they can study. They can not study here because there are too many people in a room, some drink which can be disruptive,” Gumede said.

“Life is horrible here, there is no peace, it is so hard, our electricity and water getting shut off is the last straw, the conditions are already bad, if you saw toilets here, a lot of them are out of order, nothing gets fixed. We have to go, something has to happen,” she said.

Mkhize said she received messages from panicked residents of other shelters who also said their landlords were threatening to evict them due to non-payment, “The owner of a shelter in Point Road says the municipality owes him R6-million,” said Mkhize.

Efforts for clarity from the owners of the three shelters Daily Maverick visited on how much the municipality was committed to paying monthly, and on other issues, were unsuccessful.

Mkhize and other shelter residents said they wanted to meet eThekwini municipal officials, officials from the human settlements department and KZN Premier Thami Ntuli on 16 November.

They want to know where they will be moved to after the contracts expire. They said that if they did not receive communication, they would stage a protest on 6 December, before the contracts ended on 15 December.

“We want to know where they will take us, where are the houses? If they say they will extend contracts with these shelters, can they please have each family live by itself, not have four families in one room. Also, can they check on the living conditions in these shelters and make sure people can live here. Right now people are getting sick,” said Mkhize.

“There are people who died who have never been found, family members here have never had some sort of closure, counselling, or even a memorial service of some sort,” said Mkhize.

Investigations pending

Investigations by the Public Protector into allegations that the KZN and national governments have failed to provide adequate assistance to victims of the devastating floods of April 2022 are at an “advanced stage” according to spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe.

Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality communications manager Mduduzi Ncalane told Daily Maverick that the KZN Department of Human Settlements oversaw the housing needs of the 2022 flood victims in the metro while the municipality acted as the developer.

Ncalane said the city and the provincial department were working on extending contracts with landlords and relocation plans would be managed accordingly to secure housing for affected individuals.

He confirmed that payments to landlords were processed monthly in line with the signed agreements, with all landlords appointed through a tender process.

“The contractual agreements, including payment terms, are managed between landlords and either the city or the provincial department of human settlements. Responsibility for the cleaning and security of shelter properties lies with the landlords. All Temporary Emergency Accommodations are maintained as liveable environments as per agreements with service providers. Any defects reported to the city will be addressed promptly,” said Ncalane.

While the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has been vocal about its plans to assist flood victims, Daily Maverick’s attempts to obtain a response were directed to the Premier’s Office and subsequently to the provincial department of human settlements.

Human settlements spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said: “There are processes under way in relation to the reports on human settlements. More specifically regarding interventions related to floods. These will be presented in cabinet and legislature by the MEC. And the media and members of the public will have such reports.” DM

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Repeated trauma

Lack of services

Investigations pending