Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) calls on the province’s Department of Human Settlements (DHS) and eThekwini Municipality to treat leaking sewage and an intermittent water supply at the Flamingo Heights flats in Tongaat as a health emergency.
The appeal comes after years of complaints from residents regarding chronic infrastructure failures, which also include recurring flooding in ground floor units.
Despite repeated calls for urgent intervention by both residents and the DA – at both municipal and provincial level – the DHS has failed to respond adequately, leaving residents in dire conditions which are a severe health hazard.
According to a recent parliamentary reply (view here), to questions by the DA, the DHS has plans for repairs before the transfer of title deeds. These include:
• Phase 1: Roof repairs, gutter and downpipe replacements – which are already completed and;
• Phase 2: Painting, fixing of cracks, clearing of rainwater goods and painting of doors, which is still only scheduled.
While the DA welcomes these steps, they are not enough. Residents of Flamingo Heights deserve urgent, full, and verifiable action.
To add to residents’ woes, the same parliamentary reply indicates that title deed delivery will be delayed until December due to “outstanding Town Planning issues”.
The Flamingo Heights flats have become symbolic of the litany of service delivery failures and broken promises by the DHS.
The DA calls on MEC Siboniso Duma and all responsible authorities to urgently:
• Prioritise safety in terms of leaking sewage and lack of water with the DHS and eThekwini Municipality treating this as an emergency
• Accelerate title deed delivery with a firm, detailed timeline and a commitment to no further postponements
• Immediately address infrastructure failures across all affected units, in particular on the ground floor – and not only in Phase 2.
• Ensure transparency and accountability with the publication of full project plans, budgets and progress reports accessible to residents
• Identify Town Planning’s “outstanding issues” which are delaying title deeds delivery and actions being taken to resolve them
• Hold contractors and officials accountable for substandard or delayed work and where promises of refurbishment do not materialize and;
• Involve the community in oversight and keep residents informed through regular updates. The DA is willing to work alongside community groups to monitor progress – but serious work must begin now.
As a solid partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA is committed to ensuring that Flamingo Heights becomes an example how government must work – rather than one neglect. This includes delivering basic human rights. The time for excuses is over – we will hold the relevant authorities to account and demand legislative, budgetary and operational urgency.