The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, has directed a team of officials responsible for emergency housing within the National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) to speed up the process of assisting the flood-affected households in KwaZulu Natal.

The areas that have been affected include eThekwini townships such as Lamontville, and Umlazi as well as uGu and King Cetshwayo Districts Municipalities.

“We regret that the floods have resulted in the loss of life, our deepest condolences to the families that lost their loved ones. I have impressed upon our team to work with other spheres of government and relevant institutions to assist the affected households. Key to this is the provision of emergency shelter”, said Simelane.

“Our team will conduct the necessary assessment that will inform our intervention in line with our Emergency Housing Policy”, added Simelane.

A team is expected to conduct preliminary technical assessments and beneficiary registration. These will inform possible interventions such as rebuilding the damaged structures, relocating the affected households, and providing building materials to enable the affected to restore their damaged houses or structures.

Minister Simelane appealed for maximum cooperation between the government and other stakeholders including communities. “It is only through cooperation that we will be able to effectively respond to housing emergencies such as this one”, she said.

Accordingly, the department is already working with provincial structures to ensure the affected households are assisted with adequate shelter.

Enquiries: Tsekiso Machike, Spokesperson to the Minister on 078 237 3900 I Tsekiso.machike@dhs.gov.za or Mandulo Maphumulo, Acting Head of

Communications on 082 099 7699 I Mandulo.maphumulo@dhs.gov.za

Issued by the Ministry of Human Settlements, Govan Mbeki House 240, Justice Mahomed Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria