News24 | Eastern Cape floods: R1.2bn needed to rebuild homes, govt mulls housing policy reforms

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane speaking to Butterworth residents in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.

• About 4 652 households were affected and at least 90 people killed following flooding in the Eastern Cape, with Mthatha being the epicentre.
• Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane suggested giving victims building materials rather than waiting for lengthy tender processes.
• The Eastern Cape government said it was engaging with traditional leaders to secure land away from flood-prone river banks. 

The government estimates it will require R1.2 billion to build houses for Eastern Cape flood victims.

Due to the urgency of the situation, not all parts of the rebuilding process might undergo the normal tender process.

On Wednesday afternoon, Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Lusithi told News24 that 4 652 households were affected by last week’s deadly deluge.

At least 90 people were killed.

The provincial government said residents might be given building materials to construct their houses - a normal process in the rural Eastern Cape.

READ | Request to declare Eastern Cape floods a national disaster will be considered - Hlabisa

Even though Mthatha remains the epicentre of the devastating floods, other areas in the province have also been affected.

Lusithi and Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane visited flood victims in Butterworth on Wednesday afternoon. The floods have displaced more than 1 000 residents, mostly from informal settlements.

Simelane said flood victims who built their houses near riverbanks would be asked to move their structures at the start of the rebuilding process.

“First, we would like to prioritise bereaved families, even if only for a short term, to allow them to pay their last respects to their deceased family members.”

She added the government was working towards doing away with temporary accommodation.

Simelane said:

She added the floods were one of the biggest disasters the government had ever faced.

“One of the lessons we are learning as the Department of Human Settlements is that we need to rethink our housing, emergency and grant policies.

“Why are we tendering for RDP houses? People in rural areas build houses for themselves. But if the government can say, ‘We know your mud house has collapsed and here is the building material’, instead of making them wait for 10 years for the tendering process.

“If we can buy the building materials and have NHBRC [the National Home Builders Registration Council] oversee the people who are building, people would take pride in the idea. They would never sell those houses.

“I am not claiming this would be easy, but we need to reconsider our housing policy,” said Simelane.

READ | Eastern Cape floods: Death toll rises to 90 as rescue efforts continue

Lusithi added R1.2 billion would be needed to rebuild the destroyed houses, “which goes to the point that the minister [Simelane] was making that we need to reconsider how we respond to disasters”.

Khangelani Mangisa, 37, has lived in the Skiti informal settlement in Butterworth for the past 17 years.

The area was hit hard by the floods, which displaced many residents.

“I would love to go back to a brick-and-mortar house. I lived in a shack because I could not build a house. The idea by the minister to give us land and building materials is a great one,” added Mangisa.

Simelane said negotiations to access land to build houses for flood victims were expected to conclude by the end of next week.