Durban — The Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has promised building vouchers to eThekwini residents at Inanda whose homes were destroyed during heavy rain on Tuesday.
The rain, along with what many people called a tornado, destroyed homes and left residents of Inanda displaced.
When Kubayi went to visit the affected people at Inanda with eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said they would be looking into the provision of building vouchers to help families rebuild their homes. Kubayi said a lot of residents did not have roofs as they were blown off, and some homes were completely destroyed.
“The figures that we have currently are not finalised. For the damaged houses we were told that the number is 150 and counting. However, we are still working on the numbers of people whose homes were completely damaged,” said Kubayi.
She added that her department would be sending professional engineers to properly assess the damage to homes.She said the number of people who slept at the Amaoti hall on Tuesday night was 36.
“Previously we introduced a voucher system, in terms of partially damaged, so that we give families and they are able to replace what has been damaged if the structure is still intact. We are also looking into temporary accommodation,” said Kubayi.
Kaunda said the City’s multi-disciplinary teams such as Water, Electricity, Roads and Parks were in various communities to ensure that services were restored and that infrastructure was repaired swiftly.
“Many areas lost power but technicians have begun restoring it in several areas. Some roads remain closed after being waterlogged. These include Bayhead, Brickfield, M7 Bellville and Stapleton Road,” said Kaunda.
He said there was one reported fatality in Zwelisha where an adult male was washed away by raging water.
“Search and rescue teams are continuing the search today. Assessments are continuing to establish the numbers of those who are affected and are in need of building material to rebuild their homes,” Kaunda said.
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