Minister Kubayi calls for state of disaster in Gauteng following destructive floods
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi believes there is definite cause for a state of disaster to be declared in Gauteng.
Kubayi’s remarks come after flash floods damaged homes and left hundreds of families displaced following relentless downpours in parts of the province.
The minister, along with her provincial counterpart MEC Lebogang Maile and Human Settlements MMC in the City of Johannesburg Mlungisi Mabaso, visited flood-stricken communities in Kliptown, Nancefield, and Protea Glen on Monday.
“We thought that there was no need for a disaster to be declared but agreed with the MEC that clearly there is a need for a disaster to be declared so that it can activate all the necessary departments. We do need the department of environment to come in, social development needs to come in,” Kubayi said.
The City of Joburg reported nearly 300 homes had been affected between Friday and Saturday, while the minister says the number for the province – including parts of the West Rand– has since grown exponentially.
“If you look at just only Meadowlands it’s 400, you look around here [Protea Glen] we are estimating around 100 houses, and if you look at Kliptown… [MMC Mabaso: “In Protea South it’s 1, 086”] so you can see that we are going towards 2 000 families that are affected,” said Kubayi.
READ: Minority parties call for rain-damaged Joburg to be declared disaster
Nomzamo Siboni has been living in Protea Glen along the Klip River since 2007. She recalls the first flooding incident in 2010, then again in 2020.
The 42-year-old mother of four said with each flood the waters rose higher, with the latest being the most destructive.
“The rain before used to be just above our knees in the houses, but now it has escalated but now my house is flooded. We don’t have anything; I don’t even have clothes to wear…everything is gone.”
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Both Siboni and her neighbour Samuel Sedibane, who moved to the area in 2019, blame the developer and agents who sold them their houses without disclosing the risks.
“Even the developer failed us because this is not even far from the stream. It’s an ongoing problem, we’ll have this problem forever. We lost everything, even as we speak the beds are wet and because there is no sun, we can’t take them out to dry. The houses are smelling, even our health is being compromised,” said Sedibane.
Kubayi said she will be meeting with officials from her office and the relevant stakeholders, including Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Mzi Khumalo, to discuss the application for the declaration of a provincial state of disaster.
