KZN floods: Officials check progress

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating April 2022 floods that left thousands of people displaced and almost 500 dead.

eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda conducted oversight visits in parts of the city to assess the progress the municipality has made to repair infrastructure that was damaged during the floods.

Kaunda was accompanied by deputy mayor Zandile Myeni, chairperson of the governance and human capital committee Nkosenhle Madlala and local councillors.

ALSO READ | Six killed in KZN floods, two people still missing

They visited Bellamont Road in Umdloti, which was affected by mudslides, and Umlazi, south of Durban.
According to the eThekwini mayor, more than 8 000 families who were displaced by floods and moved to 120 mass care centres were now in safe family-friendly accommodation.

We are also accelerating a programme of building permanent houses for them. As we speak, the city is preparing eight sites for this purpose.
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He added that to date, the city had been able to build more than 60 storm disaster houses for flood victims.

He said 11 flood-related water projects in the region had been completed at a cost of R64 million.

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He also said he was aware that there were families who have not found closure as their loved ones were still missing.

Regarding sewer infrastructure, Kaunda said out of 23 beaches, 19 are open and safe for bathing.

That speaks volumes about the strides we have made to repair our sanitation infrastructure…
However, opposition parties in KZN and eThekwini say there has been little progress in the rehabilitation of the damage caused by the floods.

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Meanwhile, Kaunda said the Motsepe Foundation was currently conducting an investigation on how the R30 million flood donation was utilised by the government.