It is almost six months after the devastating April floods in KwaZulu-Natal and many victims are still living in community halls while waiting for housing.

This is according to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlement’s response to the DA’s questions on issues surrounding the flood victims sent in September.

In the response, the department said over 4 000 households were still in community halls in eThekwini, KwaDukuza, Ugu District and Msunduzi.

The DA KZN spokesperson for Human Settlement, Marlaine Nair said the party has concluded that based on the current delivery rate by the department, it could be as long as four years before all of the province’s flood victims are finally moved to Temporary Residential Units (TRU).

Nair said the belief was based on, amongst others, the province’s existing housing backlog, the slow delivery of land parcels for flood victims and the department’s own failure to meet TRU construction targets, despite R342m having been set aside for this very purpose.

The department said R342m was set aside for the construction of TRUs and the remainder is budgeted for other interventions, including hostels, repairs, and the official appointment of professionals.

The department said the budget to build 4 983 TRU’s has been made available.

Nair said the information came hot on the heels of an explosive report by the auditor-general. The report allegedly confirmed that the department had only spent R33,14m out of R516m allocated for flood victims’ TRUs by July.

“It is not clear why KZN’s ANC-run government has not spent more of this budget, while flood victims continue to suffer enormously and while the province faces further violent summer storms.

“With 4 032 families currently living at 87 KZN mass care centres and at an average of four members per family, there are an estimated 16 128 flood victims still waiting.”

She added the issue of vouchers for flood victims who experienced partial damage to their homes was also a concern.

Nair said, during an earlier oversight, the former MEC indicated that R10 000 vouchers would be offered to them and that officials were on the ground identifying beneficiaries.

When the DA asked if anyone received these vouchers, the department said none of the flood victims received vouchers.

“The lack of urgency and prioritisation of flood victims is unsurprising given the existence of decade old transit camps and massive housing backlogs.

“The DA fully expects that, on the eve of the 2024 elections, houses will be handed over to KZN’s flood victims en masse.”