By Levy Masiteng
Nineteen families displaced by the April 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods have been moved into newly built Temporary Residential Units in Shongweni, eThekwini Municipality said.
The families had been living in a mass care centre following the disaster before being relocated to the temporary units on Saturday afternoon.
“This project forms part of the Municipality’s broader programme to rebuild communities affected by recurring floods. We have now finalised plans to construct permanent houses for these families on this site,” eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said.
Xaba said the project was made possible through cooperation between the municipality and the provincial and national governments, which secured funding for the temporary accommodation while permanent homes were being planned.
“A few months ago, the municipality relocated 113 families to newly built permanent homes in Cornubia,” said Xaba.
The 113 permanent homes were handed over to flood-affected families in Cornubia in May 2026 as part of the government’s housing recovery programme.
The municipality said it had also begun moving families from rented accommodation into the government-owned Montclair Lodge, where more than 160 families had taken occupation.
Beneficiaries welcomed the relocation, saying the accommodation had restored their dignity and provided a safer and more secure place to live while they waited for permanent homes to be built.
The relocation came more than four years after the catastrophic April 2022 floods, one of the worst natural disasters recorded in KwaZulu-Natal.
Torrential rainfall triggered widespread flooding and mudslides across the province, with eThekwini among the areas hardest hit.
The disaster claimed 435 lives and affected 19,113 households comprising 128,743 people across KwaZulu-Natal. Nearly 4,000 houses were destroyed and more than 8,000 were damaged.
Roads, bridges, water networks, schools, electricity systems and other public infrastructure also suffered extensive damage.
The government has since been implementing a phased recovery programme involving emergency shelter, temporary accommodation and the construction of permanent housing for families who lost their homes.
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