By Lungani Zungu
In Lamontville in KwaZulu-Natal, a cluster of tents houses people made homeless by devastating floods. Just down the road 15 double-storey buildings remain empty.
In Ndwedwe, more than 70 kilometres from Lamontville, about 50 victims of the April floods of 2021 have been living in tents.
Meanwhile, the houses in Lamontville, which reportedly cost the taxpayer R180 million, lie ransacked and vandalised by local thugs. The windows of most of the house are smashed, while uncut grass creeps up the walls.
“This is a clear indication that the government does not care about us. There are empty buildings, yet we find ourselves living in tents. This is sad,” said Sbu Cele, who has been living in a tent in Ndwedwe following the deadly April floods.
More than 400 people died during the April 2021 floods in the province.
Ntombenhle Ntendeni, who has been living in a tent in Lamontville since the 2018 floods that wreaked havoc in Durban, was equally angry.
“The government has failed us. They promised to get us proper houses three years ago, but we are still stuck here. This is painful. But above it all, it shows that no government is coming to save us as poor people.”
Those who live close by to the unoccupied houses say that the only purpose they serve is to provide safe shelter for the pastimes of delinquents.
“These buildings have become a place for criminals to hide in. Some people are even having sex in those buildings. If the municipality does not intend to allocate the houses to anybody, they should hire security guards to guard the place,” said resident Bonga Mkhize.
Asked about this, Msawakhe Mayisela, eThekwini municipality spokesperson, said: “When these houses were allocated, there was a community dispute about the legitimacy of beneficiaries.”
He said this led to the beneficiaries being chased out of the houses and admitted that the buildings were vandalised.
Mayisela told Scrolla.Africa that the long-standing issue has been resolved.
“The beneficiary issues have since been resolved after a lengthy community engagement.”
However, many residents — independent of each other — disputed this as many were still jostling for units.
Mayisela asked for the ANC-run metro “to be a space to finalise this process”.
Pictured above: The unoccupied double-storey buildings in Lamontville
Image source: Supplied
