Unavailability of land making it difficult to relocate flood survivors, says Mpho Phalatse

Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse said that the unavailability of land across the city had made it difficult to respond to the demand for shelter among flood survivors.

Phalatse said that while the city was able to provide short-term relief for families displaced during heavy rains, officials also needed to relocate families on floodplains before disaster strikes again.

The mayor made the comments during an assessment of the damage caused by this month’s floods, with Roodeport, Soweto, and Centurion among the areas that were hardest hit by the persistent rain.

The damage to infrastructure is now estimated to be more than R420 million, up from R300 million.

Phalatse said that the city’s housing crisis was amplified by the influx of undocumented foreign nationals.

“We are also doing our own investigations to find out who owns the land and what options we have as a city. Where land is privately owned, we are reaching out to the owners to see what potential there is for the city to take over that land and see what parts of the land is habitable. There is a lot of work happening. Where people need to be relocated, we are doing that,” the mayor said.

-EWN

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