COMMUNITY members whose homes were damaged in the KZN floods in April received temporary residential units on Sunday, 12 May.
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala handed over the units to residents of Ntshongweni, outside Durban, along with Human Settlements MEC Ntuthuko Jomo and eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
Speaking at the handover, Zikalala said it marked two months since the floods caused havoc in five districts of eThekwini, leaving thousands homeless.
“While for many of us it’s easy to speak about this disaster from the comfort of our homes and offices, the true test of the impact is seeing and hearing from the victims and those worst affected,” he said.
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Zikalala said the floods affected a total of 85 280 people and left 461 dead.
“Sadly, we still have 23 unidentified bodies whose DNA has not been collected. A total of 87 people are still reported missing, 6 895 are homeless and 50 were injured,” he said.
“All in all, a total of 27 069 households were affected with 8 584 houses totally destroyed and 13 536 partially destroyed.”
The premier said the cost of the flood damage stood at R25 billion, affecting mainly infrastructure networks, manufacturing and agriculture.
