Latest news with #TemporaryEmergencyAccommodation
IOL News
13-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Montclair Lodge to serve as transitional housing for flood victims in KwaZulu-Natal
Montclair Lodge has been acquired by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements for R33 million. This purchase is intended to convert the property into government-owned transitional emergency housing for individuals affected by floods. Image: Supplied The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements has bought the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million and will use the property as government-owned transitional emergency accommodation. MEC Siboniso Duma made the announcement at the lodge's doorstep on Sunday morning. Duma said the transfer from Transnet to the department occurred on May 31. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' Duma said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The lodge has 268 rooms with a 600-bed capacity. Duma said the Housing Development Agency will manage it for the department. eThekwini Municipality councillor Bheki Mngwengwe, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements Head of Department Max Mbili and eThekwini Municipality ward 26 councillor Sbusiso Lushaba at Montclair Lodge during a media briefing on Sunday. Image: Thobeka Ngema 'A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of July 2025 to do a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment. The contractor will be appointed immediately upon receipt of the basic assessment. A minimum of R35 million will be set aside for the refurbishment, while R4.2 million has been made available for the basic assessment,' Duma explained. He said it is expected that some flood victims will occupy the lodge in December 2025 or January 2026. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' Duma said. 'This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional emergency accommodations.' The large property, with several floors, rooms with built-in cupboards, bathrooms, a dining hall, garages and a swimming pool, requires refurbishment, as seen during a walkabout. Among others, some windows were broken, doors taken off their hinges, peeling paint, and tiles were missing from the floor. KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma (left) inside one of the rooms at Montclair Lodge. Image: Supplied Head of Department Max Mbili said a professional engineer will do a basic assessment on what needs to be done for the property to be ready for occupation. 'We are going to give him or her a period of two to three weeks to complete that exercise. Thereafter, we are going to appoint a contractor who will then come and do renovations,' Mbili said. He said repairs are expected to be completed by December 2025 or January 2026, and then families will occupy it. 'Affected families will be housed here for a period of one to three months while we're building a permanent solution for them,' Mbili said. Montclair resident Simphiwe Mzimba expressed gratitude that the department had bought the property because they had become police and security personnel, guarding and not sleeping, ensuring that no one occupies the property without permission. 'We encourage residents, now that the building will be used, not to be aggrieved and question those who will occupy it, because there are questions about why people from areas like Lamontville will occupy it,' Mzimba said. He urged the department to have community engagement, explaining that those who would occupy the property were affected by floods.
IOL News
13-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport purchases Montclair Lodge for displaced flood victims
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba during yesterday's visit to Montclair Lodge Image: Supplied IN A FORWARD-STEPPING move the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements has purchased a property that will aid its mission to house families that were displaced by recent floods that lashed the province. It was the department's intention to avoid the practice of utilising privately owned property to accommodate displaced people. MEC Siboniso Duma confirmed that the department he headed had purchased the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million — the facility, which includes 268 rooms with a bed capacity of 600, that will be repurposed to house over 150 evicted flood victims. 'We wish to announce that we have bought this facility, the Montclair Lodge, from Transnet,' Duma said, with regards to property where the official transfer of ownership took place on May 31. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' he said. The announcement comes after more than 150 flood victims were evicted from the Bayside Hotel in Durban's city center due to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements' failure to make payments. The victims, who were originally displaced by devastating floods earlier this year, will now be temporarily housed at the Chesterville Community Hall. The department previously said R185 million has already been paid to various hotels for emergency accommodations. An additional R128 million was needed to accommodate 1,200 displaced individuals. Many of the affected victims, who previously resided in various parts of the eThekwini Municipality, have been without permanent housing since the April 2022 floods. Duma said the Montclair Lodge will be managed by the Housing Development Agency on behalf of his department. 'A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of the month to conduct a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment,' he said. The department has allocated R4.2 million for the assessment and a minimum of R35 million for refurbishment. A contractor will be appointed immediately after the assessment report is completed. Duma said it was anticipated that some flood victims would be able to reside at the lodge by possibly December or January. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' he said. 'This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional emergency accommodations.' DAILY NEWS
IOL News
13-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Montclair Lodge purchased by KZN government for R33 million to accommodate evicted flood victims
The KZN government bought Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million and plans to use its 268 rooms to house more than 100 flood victims who were evicted from their temporary shelter. Image: SIBONELO NGCOBO / Independent Newspapers The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Resources said it purchased the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million — the facility, which includes 268 rooms with a bed capacity of 600, will be repurposed to house over 150 evicted flood victims. The announcement was made by KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma 'We wish to announce that we have bought this facility, the Montclair Lodge, from Transnet,' Duma said. He confirmed that the official transfer of ownership took place on May 31, 2025. 'In other words, we will no longer use private facilities as part of the Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' he said. The announcement comes after more than 150 flood victims were evicted from the Bayside Hotel in Durban's city center due to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements' failure to make payments. The victims, who were originally displaced by devastating floods earlier this year, will now be temporarily housed at the Chesterville Community Hall. The department previously said R185 million has already been paid to various hotels for emergency accommodations. An additional R128 million is needed to accommodate 1,200 displaced individuals. Many of the affected victims have been without permanent housing since the April 2022 floods. They come from various parts of eThekwini. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Duma said the Montclair Lodge will be managed by the Housing Development Agency on behalf of the KZN Department of Human Settlements. 'A professional engineer will be appointed before the end of July 2025 to conduct a basic assessment, which will determine the scope of work for the refurbishment,' he said. The department has allocated R4.2 million for the assessment and a minimum of R35 million for refurbishment. A contractor will be appointed immediately after the assessment report is completed. Duma said it is anticipated that some flood victims will be able to occupy the lodge by December 2025 or January 2026. 'Our plan is to ensure that we are ready for heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the summer season,' he said. 'This milestone of a government-owned transitional emergency accommodation will drastically reduce the rent paid to privately owned transitional emergency accommodations.' IOL News
IOL News
05-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
NHBRC to unveil critical report on structural integrity of mudslide-affected homes in Durban
Umlazi households to be relocated after devastating mudslides. Image: Supplied The National Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), an entity of the Department of Human Settlements, is expected to present its report on the structural integrity of all mudslide-affected houses in uMlazi, south of Durban. Department of Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane said in a statement on Thursday that the report and geotechnical assessments of the area, expected in the next two weeks, would help determine the intervention required. Noting the impact the recent rains have caused to several houses during her visit to the area earlier last week, Simelane directed the immediate evacuation of families whose houses had completely collapsed or had compromised structural integrity, thus posing a danger to occupants. The DHS minister said while they awaited the report, she was encouraged by the speed and efficiency with which the three spheres of government, National and KZN Department of Human Settlements and eThekwini Municipality have responded to her recent call to evacuate victims of mudslides at uMlazi, H Section. Over 50 families are being evacuated to Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA) as they have lost their houses. 'I am out of words to express our gratitude to families that opened their houses to accommodate affected families. This is who we are. We are a warm nation. A nation that extends a helping hand to those in need', Simelane said. The recent rains led to mudslides and the destruction of about 56 houses, which prompted the Minister to direct that the most affected families be relocated within 48 hours. As a long-term measure, the eThekwini Municipality and the Provincial Department of Human Settlements will identify a piece of land that will be utilised to accommodate the affected households with permanent settlement. At the beginning of April, a blaze ripped through New Rest-Egoli informal settlement in the Western Cape, leaving scores of people homeless. The Drakenstein Local Municipality has informed the National Department of Human Settlements that 200 informal structures might have been affected by the blaze. However, the currently compiled list of people who have come forward has a total of 360 structures that have been affected. This was being verified by the two spheres of government. At the end of March, the Eastern Cape Amatole District Municipality was hit by heavy storms which battered the area, leaving a tale of destruction to properties and infrastructure. This affected the three municipalities in the Amatole District, which include Great Kei, Raymond Mhlaba and Amahlathi Local Municipalities. According to a preliminary report from the deployed teams, there was a need to relocate families whose mud houses collapsed during storms to Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) and provide building materials for the communities to rebuild their destroyed structures. Marking three months as DHS Minister in March, Simelane pointed out that she had to respond to emergencies such as floods and fires in provinces such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The department said this period has enabled the minister to fully understand the challenges faced by the sector. These include budget cuts, poor contract management leading to the abandonment of housing projects, allegations of fraud and corruption, a trust deficit between the department and its stakeholders, distressed social housing projects, and finding permanent solutions to the country's informal settlements. She said these challenges inform them that there is no silver bullet to resolve them.
IOL News
02-05-2025
- Climate
- IOL News
KZN's swift action: 144 residents evacuated from mudslide disaster in uMlazi
Residents whose homes were damaged after recent heavy rains caused mudslides in uMlazi H Section are being evacuated by the KZN Department of Transport and Human Settlements. Image: Supplied The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements has evacuated 144 people whose homes were damaged after recent heavy rains caused severe mudslides in uMlazi H Section, south of Durban. Department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya stated that the team is collaborating with the ward committee to complete the evacuation of the remaining 72 residents. He noted that some of these individuals were currently at work, while others were temporarily residing with relatives. 'We continue with the verification process to ensure that nobody is left behind,' he said. This comes after six people were injured in P Section last week during the same storm as a result of mudslides. KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi ordered that these affected residents in P Section be relocated and that an evaluation of the entire area should be conducted. This evaluation found that other houses in the vicinity had also been affected. On Wednesday, Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, together with KZN Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma, visited uMlazi H Section to assess the damage caused to about 56 houses, also affected by mudslides. One of the houses that was damaged after recent heavy rains. Image: Supplied Based on what she had seen, Simelane said the relocation of these households would be the best solution. 'While the assessment is conducted, the immediate task is to relocate about 56 families to Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA),' said Simelane. The minister directed that the most affected families should be relocated within 48 hours. MEC Duma said the evacuation process would begin on Thursday. 'We wish to announce that today at 15h00, more than 200 community members will be evacuated.' According to Sibiya, evacuations continued from 11pm on Thursday to 2am on Friday. Sibiya said the department will monitor the evacuation on site and be with the community as they embark on this journey. Duma said he received a report at 3am on Friday and confirmed that evacuations would resume later that morning at 9am. In a progress report on Friday afternoon, Duma said that he has been interacting with Minister Simelane, informing her about the progress of the evacuation of 216 community members from H Section. He said 144 people, including children, had been evacuated and were being accommodated at Lagoon Centre in eManzimtoti The evacuated residents are being accommodated at the Lagoon Centre in eManzimtoti Image: Supplied Duma stated that on Thursday afternoon, the department inspected the self-catering accommodation facility and was satisfied with its condition. He said this facility will help these storm victims recover from the traumatic experience of living in collapsing houses. 'Working with eThekwini Municipality, meals such as breakfast and supper will be provided for 14 days starting from this weekend. After 14 days, food parcels will be provided to the families for self-catering purposes. One of the units at the at Lagoon Centre in eManzimtoti. Image: Supplied
