Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA will take KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Human Settlement MEC, Siboniso Duma and his department to task over the shocking ongoing neglect of residents of the Flamingo Heights flats in Ward 61, Tongaat. This after receiving numerous dire complaints from occupants including leaking sewage pipes, ground floor units being repeatedly flooded and no running water in some units.
The DHS ongoing and inexcusable neglect of Flamingo Heights residents is outrageous. What is unfolding in this community is not just a failure of governance – it is a humanitarian crisis that exposes the department’s utter disregard for the dignity and wellbeing of vulnerable citizens.
Despite repeated calls for urgent intervention by both occupants and local DA councillors, the DHS has failed to provide even the most basic living conditions for the people of Flamingo Heights.
According to a written parliamentary reply (view here) to questions by the DA, Flamingo Heights houses 72 families. These units fall under the Title Deed Restoration programme where the enhanced Extended Discount Benefit Scheme (EEDBS) is applicable.
The process of sectionalisation, which includes the allocation and transfer of units to beneficiaries, was initiated but was later halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While there have supposedly been developments, with the process allegedly near completion, the reality on the ground is far from this.
The DHS inaction has allowed these dire conditions to persist for far too long. Empty promises and bureaucratic red tape have replaced real progress. The residents of Flamingo Heights deserve answers, accountability, and above all, action. The DA demands the following:
– Immediate intervention by KZN’s DHS to improve infrastructure and service delivery at Flamingo Heights and;
– A clear and transparent plan with timelines for the restoration of the 72 units and issuing of Title Deeds
Our province’s people deserve the prioritisation of service delivery and protection of human rights. The residents of Flamingo Heights are not statistics – they are families, children, and elders who have simply been forgotten. As part of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will not rest until this injustice is addressed and the dignity of residents of Flamingo Heights is restored.