Flood victims who were left stranded like these women last week were moved to an upmarket temporary residents which used to be be a students accommodation. Picture: Tumi Pakkies/African News Agency(ANA)
Durban — Flood victims who were left stranded last week at Lamontville Police Station, were moved to an upmarket temporary accommodation to ensure their safety and wellness.
This follows their eviction at Tehuis Hall in Umlazi, a hall that they had been occupying since April.
Sandile Mvubu said he was excited about the residence that they were offered, a decent place to sleep in and it was less crowded. He said they had been degraded for a long time as their living situations were worse.
Mvubu said the experience of sleeping outside in the cold was still one that would not leave his mind.
“We are grateful for the efforts but we will never forget that at the same time some people slept in hotels, but we were left stranded for a whole night. This place, however, feels more homely as it is clean and well-managed. It feels so surreal to be placed in a decent place like this one,” he said.
Mvubu added that they appreciated the Department of Human Settlements and Public Works and city’s efforts, saying that he knew how hard it should be for them to take care of all the victims.
“In everything we want fairness, we should all be treated the same as victims,” he concluded.
The victims were supposed to be moved to Wema Hostel; however, the move did not happen. eThekwini Municipality claimed that they were advised of potential security risks from the area which stopped them from moving the flood victims.
“For the safety of the residents, the buses travelling to Wema Hostel were rerouted to the Lamontville Police Station for safety reasons. The residents remained there under guard until they could be moved,” the municipal statement read.
KZN Human Settlements and Public Works spokesperson, Mlungisi Khumalo, said they worked around the clock to make sure that they found accommodation for the flood victims because no one was going to spend another night outside under their watch.
“We made sure that we find a place that is perfect for them and that accommodated all of them to avoid overcrowding. They are our priority and we will always make sure they are well taken care of whilst the department continues to build permanent structures,” he said.
The municipality said they were still investigating the cause of the initial eviction as well as the potential security threat.
Daily News