The City of Ekurhuleni is exploring the possibility of establishing temporary shelters in flood hot-spots in the area. The facilities will be in the form of municipal halls and tents.

“We are being proactive because we are aware that these rains will continue through the weekend. The city believes that establishing temporary shelters will go a long way to assisting people and could be the best way to save lives,” said mayoral spokesman, Mr Zweli Dlamini.

“Our primary focus is to save lives and then we shall look at ways to assist those affected to rebuild their lives going forward,” said Mr Dlamini.

The City already has 73 displaced people in Ulana in Boksburg. They are being provided with temporary shelter at an old Spoornet facility, where they are receiving food parcels and blankets.

The very same community was visited this morning by Gauteng Premier, Mr David Makhura, who promised government’s full support.

Accompanied by Ekurhuleni’s MMC for Community Safety Clr Viviene Chauke, Mr Makhura said he had seen the devastation the rain has caused in the area and promised to help them rebuild their lives.

“While we will assist you now, this is just a temporary measure. Having seen the better part of this informal settlement I have no doubt that it is not suitable for human habitation and therefore as government we need to look at a permanent solution to this problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, the City of Ekurhuleni is busy collecting data to determine which other areas are adversely affected so that everyone can get assistance.

Some of the people lost all their belongings, including critical documents like Identity Documents.

“We are working with various institutions of government like Home Affairs and the Gauteng Provincial Government to assist them as much as we can,” said Mr Dlamini.