Latest news with #R128
Eyewitness News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
eThekwini responds to DA's claim about flood victims as 'political grandstanding'
DURBAN - The eThekwini Metro Municipality has responded to claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that it failed to take responsibility when flood victims were evicted from their temporary residence. At least 150 people were left stranded when the Bayside Hotel threw them out on the street over the delayed payment of R128 million by government. The DA has called on the SA Human Rights Commission and Public Protector to investigate human rights violations, citing the municipality's account for the eviction. The metro has refuted the claims accusing the DA of playing politics. Last week, when the flood victims were left destitute, Human Settlement MEC Siboniso Duma went to Gauteng to meet the ministry to resolve the matter. This was followed by a R30 million purchase of the Montclair Lodge to house the flood victims. Despite this intervention, the DA said the metro should have acted first since the victims are residents of eThekwini. DA eThekwini caucus leader, Thabani Mthethwa, said, 'Whether those people were put in there by the national or provincial government, as part of the District Development Model the Municipality should have taken responsibility in making sure that they are taken care of.' Meanwhile city spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said, 'The actions of reporting the Bayside Hotel evictions of the flood victims to the Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector is an exercise in futility, and desperate political grandstanding because the matter relating to the dignified resettlement of flood victims has been sufficiently dealt with by all spheres of government.'
IOL News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
KZN Human Settlements Department unveils housing plans for disaster victims
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport Siboniso Duma details accommodation plans for those displaced by floods. Image: Supplied THE Department of Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal has announced detailed plans aimed at addressing accommodation for people displaced by disasters. This comes amid concerns that the department has failed to deliver on key objectives, including building disaster relief housing in a timely manner. The department revealed yesterday that it plans to renovate a building purchased from Transnet, which will provide immediate housing relief stock for those left homeless by recent disasters. Going forward, the department intends to limit spending on private accommodation for those displaced by natural disasters. Last week, 189 individuals and more than 60 families spent a night outside after being evicted from the Bayside Hotel in Durban amid a payment dispute, as the department had not paid the hotel owner. To date, it has spent R185 million to accommodate families in about six private accommodations across Durban, and it said it needed an additional R128 million to continue doing so. The flood victims have since been placed in another building after the hotel owner refused to take them back in. This incident unfolded amid growing concerns that the department was failing to deliver on its key mandates. DA spokesperson on Human Settlements, Riona Gokool, stated that the department's portfolio committee was briefed on its performance to date, raising serious concerns. 'KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Human Settlements (DHS), under MEC Siboniso Duma, has failed to meet delivery targets across its most critical mandates, despite reporting 100% financial expenditure of its 2024/25 R3.9 billion adjusted budget. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'The damning information came to light during a recent KZN Legislature Human Settlements portfolio committee meeting, during which officials outlined the department's fourth-quarter reports and proposed Annual Oversight Plan (AOP) for 2025/26,' she said. 'The reality is that out of a total of 50 performance indicators, only 28% exceeded targets, while 36% underperformed, notably in Planning and Housing Development. This reflects a serious misalignment between expenditure and actual outcomes, raising concerns of inefficiency, poor planning, and lack of consequence management. 'Only 21 out of 410 targeted post-1994 title deeds have been registered, with zero community residential units delivered out of a targeted 270. No informal settlements have been upgraded to Phase 3 despite escalating housing backlogs, and only 540 disaster relief houses have been delivered out of 1 500 targeted units," she stated. The department pushed back on these claims, stating that the information was meant to misinform members of the public. It said, guided by MEC Siboniso Duma, that over the past 391 days, the department has delivered: 7 976 fully subsidised houses for ordinary members of communities 5 030 houses for people in rural areas 464 homes for vulnerable members of society More than 900 sites established to enable members of the public to build their own houses 1 638 title deeds registered and handed over to ordinary members of society 315 households assisted to own houses for the first time through the First Home Finance Programme. The department said it is doing significant work to deliver housing, including spending on bulk infrastructure to ensure that projects are completed on time, despite that being a municipal function. Regarding the progress made to address the issue of housing for disaster victims, the department stated that all levels of government are working together to coordinate their response to disaster relief. Part of this expenditure was the acquisition of Montclair Lodge from Transnet, which has 600 beds to accommodate flood victims. 'We have paid R33m for this facility, which will be repurposed to accommodate victims of floods. The transfer from Transnet to us took place on 31 May 2025. In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation,' said MEC Duma. It said a professional engineer will be appointed before the end of July 2025 to conduct a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment. The contractor will be appointed immediately upon receipt of the basic assessment. A minimum of R35m will be set aside for the refurbishment, while R4.2m has been made available for the basic assessment, it continued. It is anticipated that some flood victims will take occupation in the lodge during December 2025 or January 2026. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' concluded the department's statement. THE MERCURY
IOL News
13-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport purchases Montclair Lodge for displaced flood victims
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba during yesterday's visit to Montclair Lodge Image: Supplied IN A FORWARD-STEPPING move the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements has purchased a property that will aid its mission to house families that were displaced by recent floods that lashed the province. It was the department's intention to avoid the practice of utilising privately owned property to accommodate displaced people. MEC Siboniso Duma confirmed that the department he headed had purchased the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million — the facility, which includes 268 rooms with a bed capacity of 600, that will be repurposed to house over 150 evicted flood victims. 'We wish to announce that we have bought this facility, the Montclair Lodge, from Transnet,' Duma said, with regards to property where the official transfer of ownership took place on May 31. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' he said. The announcement comes after more than 150 flood victims were evicted from the Bayside Hotel in Durban's city center due to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements' failure to make payments. The victims, who were originally displaced by devastating floods earlier this year, will now be temporarily housed at the Chesterville Community Hall. The department previously said R185 million has already been paid to various hotels for emergency accommodations. An additional R128 million was needed to accommodate 1,200 displaced individuals. Many of the affected victims, who previously resided in various parts of the eThekwini Municipality, have been without permanent housing since the April 2022 floods. Duma said the Montclair Lodge will be managed by the Housing Development Agency on behalf of his department. 'A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of the month to conduct a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment,' he said. The department has allocated R4.2 million for the assessment and a minimum of R35 million for refurbishment. A contractor will be appointed immediately after the assessment report is completed. Duma said it was anticipated that some flood victims would be able to reside at the lodge by possibly December or January. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' he said. 'This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional emergency accommodations.' DAILY NEWS
IOL News
13-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Montclair Lodge purchased by KZN government for R33 million to accommodate evicted flood victims
The KZN government bought Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million and plans to use its 268 rooms to house more than 100 flood victims who were evicted from their temporary shelter. Image: SIBONELO NGCOBO / Independent Newspapers The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Resources said it purchased the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million — the facility, which includes 268 rooms with a bed capacity of 600, will be repurposed to house over 150 evicted flood victims. The announcement was made by KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma 'We wish to announce that we have bought this facility, the Montclair Lodge, from Transnet,' Duma said. He confirmed that the official transfer of ownership took place on May 31, 2025. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' he said. The announcement comes after more than 150 flood victims were evicted from the Bayside Hotel in Durban's city center due to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements' failure to make payments. The victims, who were originally displaced by devastating floods earlier this year, will now be temporarily housed at the Chesterville Community Hall. The department previously said R185 million has already been paid to various hotels for emergency accommodations. An additional R128 million is needed to accommodate 1,200 displaced individuals. Many of the affected victims have been without permanent housing since the April 2022 floods. They come from various parts of eThekwini. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Duma said the Montclair Lodge will be managed by the Housing Development Agency on behalf of the KZN Department of Human Settlements. 'A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of July 2025 to conduct a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment,' he said. The department has allocated R4.2 million for the assessment and a minimum of R35 million for refurbishment. A contractor will be appointed immediately after the assessment report is completed. Duma said it is anticipated that some flood victims will be able to occupy the lodge by December 2025 or January 2026. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' he said. 'This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional emergency accommodations.' IOL News
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Human Settlements department seeks additional R128 million for flood victims' accommodation
Flood victims sit with their belongings in the Durban CBD yesterday. They were evicted from the hotel they were staying after the Human Settlements department failed to pay for their accommodation. Image: SIBONELO NGCOBO / Independent Newspapers Human Settlements needs an additional R128 million to continue accommodating the flood victims who are currently living in hotels and other private accommodations across Durban. It has spent approximately R185 million on about five or six accommodations, including hotels throughout the city that are housing the displaced families since 2022. The department revealed this yesterday after approximately 189 individuals and 64 families who were being accommodated at the Bayside Hotel in Durban were evicted on Wednesday night due to non-payment for their accommodation. It was not immediately clear how much was owed at this one hotel and whether the families in the other accommodation facilities were also at risk. The department confirmed yesterday afternoon that new accommodation had been found for those evicted from the Bayside Hotel. Ndabe Sibiya, the spokesperson for the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said the MEC had urgently flown to Gauteng yesterday to meet with the National Minister of Human Settlements to resolve the eviction of flood victims from the Bayside Hotel due to delayed payments. 'There has been a breakthrough. The MEC met with Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane and received guidance from the Minister of Finance. We wish to indicate that we have found a solution and the necessary approvals." Sibiya added that the department has already paid R185 million for self-catering and accommodation for 1,200 families in about five to six hotels across Durban, and now requires an additional R128 million. He detailed some of the challenges that the department has been alerted to regarding some individuals accommodated in private establishments. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He mentioned that they had been receiving complaints from owners of these establishments that some of the people are unruly and they do not want to accommodate them anymore. He added that the department had also conducted a verification process to ensure that the people benefiting are legitimate and had found that some individuals had been abusing the system. Furthermore, the government had built permanent houses for victims, but as soon as they moved to their new homes, others were sneaking into these rented accommodations. He said another challenge they are faced with is resistance from communities where land had been identified to build houses. 'We met with the Human Rights Commission last week and presented this matter. We could have built houses for some victims on identified state-owned land, such as in Shallcross and other areas, but communities there chased away contractors who were beginning to build. The reality is that the government cannot rebuild on unsuitable land that saw homes being washed away during floods,' Sibiya concluded. One of the evicted individuals told a TV news channel about their trauma. 'We have not been told what is happening. We were put in here, and today we were put out, and we are sleeping on the street. All we have been told is that we will be taken to a community hall. We are not told how long we will be staying in those community halls. It's not right that we could be moved from a house to a community hall.' The DA in eThekwini said in a statement that on Monday it will announce bold steps it is taking against the municipality following the displacement of flood victims and the overall collapse of the city. DA councillor Zamani Khuzwayo expressed deep concern about the eviction, calling it an inexcusable humanitarian failure. The DA blamed the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the eThekwini Municipality for the crisis. In response, Themba Mvubu, the EFF chair of the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee in eThekwini, pushed back. He stated, 'These victims were booked into the hotel by the National Department of Human Settlements.' THE MERCURY
