DA: Dakota fire shows desperate need for housing
The DA in eThekwini says this weekend's
devastating fire in Isipingo has once again brought the plight of shackdwellers
into the spotlight.
The party says it is evident there is a desperate need for decent housing.
The blaze at the Dakota informal settlement tore through at least 500 homes on Saturday night.
No one was hurt.
DA provincial chair Dean Macpherson met with some of the victims on Monday.
He says it's concerning that eThekwini's budget, meant for the eradication of informal settlements, was slashed by National Treasury by R100 million.
"If the municipality was doing enough they wouldn't be more than 600 settlements in this municipality, so the clear answer is no, it's a clear disjuncture between what the municipality is doing and what it thinks it's doing.
"The reality is on the ground and this is just symptomatic of what is not taking place in the municipality and so it remains a massive concern."
READ: Heartache after Isipingo shack fire
Meanwhile, the party’s provincial spokesperson for Social Development Mmabatho Tembe says they'll be assisting, and monitoring the rollout of aid to the mothers of newborns, whose IDs and birth certificates perished in the fire.
"I think right now its to ensure that Sassa and Social Development coordinate properly with the disaster management so that they can start prioritising school uniforms for children and children who have child-headed households. It's something we need to check when it comes to this."
