Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube of KwaZulu-Natal says her province is still facing fierce opposition from some communities as it works to recover and rebuild following April’s devastating floods.
This weekend, she spoke at former President Kgalema Motlanthe’s inclusive dialogue forum in Drakensberg.
According to Dube-Ncube, while flood damage to roads and critical infrastructure was most visible, human suffering was immeasurable.
According to the Premier, her government is still facing fierce opposition from several communities as it attempts to find permanent housing in the suburbs for those who have been displaced.
“[They] objected that this would lower their property values, citing the not in my backyard syndrome as we attempted to build temporary and permanent housing on land parcels owned by the government in the suburbs.”
She claims that some property owners, particularly in the Ethekwini metro, have attempted to profit from the situation, leaving the provincial government frustrated as it attempts to re-house some of its communities.
“We also had to deal with a lot of opposition. We also have to deal with unethical private property owners who are willing to raise their prices when the government is a client.”