Victims of the 2008 tornado will have to wait for a few more months for the permanent houses promised to them by former Housing MEC Thobile Mhlahlo.
“The damage-repair shouldn’t take long now; by the end of the year everything should be completed,” said Department of Housing spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha.
Victims of the 2008 tornado will have to wait for a few more months for the permanent houses promised to them by former Housing MEC Thobile Mhlahlo.
“The damage-repair shouldn’t take long now; by the end of the year everything should be completed,” said Department of Housing spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha.
Until then the victims of 161 severely damaged houses will have to rely on their fold away zinc houses which were delivered to them in December 2008.
The municipality applied for a grant of R8.77-million from the provincial government to repair the damaged houses of the area which was declared a disaster zone.
“It has been a long process because the municipality has had to assess the extent of the damage and they have had to gather a lot of other information.
It was only after that, that they could get the go-ahead for the building,” said Sicwetsha. “It has been a lot of work which takes a long time.”
Three months ago Makana Municipality spokesperson Thandy Matebese confirmed that a housing plan had been approved at a mayoral committee meeting held at the end of last year.
He was not available to comment on any updates since that meeting. However, Sicwetsha is confident this would all end soon and requested patience from everyone.
“The contractor should be on the site fixing the houses at this very moment,” Sicwetsha said. “I know it is taking long, but the tornado victims must remember we are always here to assist them.”
