South Africans Fork Out as Govt Flood Aid Slows to a Trickle

KwaZulu-Natal's metropolitan municipality of eThekwini is battling to recover in the aftermath of the April 2022 floods that came on top of the crippling July 2021 unrest. In some Durban suburbs, residents are forming associations to deliver services and rebuild infrastructure after the floods and 2021 unrest in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, writes Benita Enoch for GroundUp.

Residents with whom GroundUp spoke, said they cannot rely on a municipality hobbled with factional political infighting. It was already failing them well before the disasters struck. Those who have the know-how and resources are forming associations to fix their infrastructure.

This comes after the government's ad-hoc committee on flood management and disaster relief and recovery, raised concern about lack of coordination and integrated plans to resolve the housing needs of people displaced by the floods. During a meeting, the committee was informed of the inhumane conditions at some of the shelters, where children, women and men all sleep in one place, which poses a risk, as women and children are vulnerable to all kind of hazards, including gender-based violence.