AFTER losing her home and possessions in the devastating 2022 floods, 62-year-old Thembi Ntuli fought back tears as she welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa into her new, fully furnished Cornubia home on Thursday, October 29.

The grandmother-of-three was visited by Ramaphosa, who inspected houses built as part of Phase 2 of the Cornubia settlement during their official opening.

“I never ever thought the president of the country would come to visit my home, let alone sit next to me on my humble sofa. I told myself to be brave, but then I felt tears rolling down my face,” said a tearful Ntuli.

“I couldn’t hold my tears back when I had to tell him how my grandchildren and I ended up homeless because of the floods.”

Flood victim recalls ordeal

Ntuli, who is now the primary caregiver to her three grandchildren, said she had nobody to turn to when disaster struck but now feels the love.

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“When the floods came in 2022, I had recently retired and took my R41 000 pension to buy furniture for the home that we had in Chatsworth,” said Ntuli. “It’s just me and my three grandkids. My children, their parents, passed away a long time ago, and I wanted to make sure my grandchildren were taken care of and had a decent home.”

Like her 113 neighbours, Ntuli lost most, if not all, of her belongings during the devastation. For four years, they lived in Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA) in the Durban CBD before moving into their new homes.

“To have a home to call my own means a lot to me today. I had nothing and I am now living comfortably with my grandchildren.”

Recalling the day that she lost her home, Ntuli said, “I’m still traumatised, and looking back at the moment we lost our home brings me to tears. Watching the roof being blown away and the walls cracking during the floods left me traumatised.”

More homes to be built

Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma, who attended the official handover alongside Ramaphosa, KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba, said a further 460 houses were being built at a cost of R101m. These are expected to be completed by June 2027.

Xaba said the homes would be allocated to flood victims.

“When disaster strikes, it strikes at a time when you have little means to intervene. They have been patient, and today they have been rewarded. You could see their excitement and joy. The ululating and singing showed how happy they were to have permanent homes and that their matter had finally come to an end,” said Xaba.

The opening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the planting of 113 apple trees to symbolise the residents’ arrival.

Launched more than a decade ago, the Cornubia Integrated Human Settlements Project is expected to deliver 12 593 housing units across various programmes once complete. These include fully subsidised Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing, First Home Finance for the “missing middle” and social housing.

Addressing report of queue jumping for housing and sale of the subsidised residences. Ramaphosa said, “We ask the community to protect completed houses, public facilities and infrastructure. We ask the community to reject the unlawful sale or occupation of subsidised housing.”

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