DA wants SAHC, PP to probe flood victims’ evictions

 The displaced families, including children and the elderly, spent a cold night on the pavements last week after the Departmentof Human Settlements failed to pay for their accommodation at the BaysideHotel.

They were moved to another temporary accommodation in Umbilo.

DA eThekwini Caucus Leader Thabani Mthethwa believes the city should have taken care of the 170 people while the provincial department seeks a permanent solution.

 "The investigation that we're triggering here is for the Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector to investigate and ascertain whether there were human rights violations in the manner that the issue, with regards to flood victims, has been handled by the municipality," said Mthethwa.

"But we're not saying only the municipality and all relevant departments that are supposed to be taking this into account."

 READ: KZN govt secures Montclair lodge to house flood victims

The provincial department announced over the weekend that it had spent over R30 million to buy the Montclair Lodge south of Durban to house the flood victims.

However, on Monday, Mthethwa told reporters in Durban that it is not a well-thought-out solution.

" Two or three months ago, the provincial Department of Public Works donated for free three buildings to the municipality," he said.

"We do believe that those buildings should be utilised and renovated so that they're habitable, and people are able to use those buildings as permanent accommodation if there's a need.

"We don't need to go and buy new buildings. The city owns hundreds of buildings that are unused, so that expenditure could be used for something else. I think it's all about priorities and proper planning from where we are sitting."

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