KZN Flood victims living in Transitional Emergency Accommodations to all be housed by year-end

All privately owned Transitional Emergency Accommodations (TEA) will be closed on or before the end of 2025. 

The remaining families will be housed at Montclair Lodge and Cornubia's Temporary Residential Units from December until January 2026 as they await the completion of their permanent houses by latest June 2027.

This was according to the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, who, together with the Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane, handed over houses to flood victims in Copsville, Pietermaritzburg, on Tuesday, August 19.

Duma and Simelane's first stop was in Impendle, outside Pietmaritzburg, where they introduced the contractor who will build a total of 246 permanent houses for the victims of disasters. 

The second one was in Pietermaritzburg, where 17 families took occupation of their permanent houses at Copesville under the Msunduzi Municipality. 

Duma said the 17 victims of the devastating 2022 floods will finally sleep comfortably after they received keys to their permanent houses in Copesville under the Msunduzi Municipality. He added that they will also use their temporary residential units permanently.

In attendance were the mayor of Umgungundlovu District Municipality, Mzi Zuma, as well as the mayor of Umsunduzi Local Municipality, Councillor Mzimkhulu Thebolla.

Duma said a total of 1 200 houses were being built in Cornubia, north of Durban, where construction commenced last week.

“One hundred and thirteen families will take possession of their permanent houses at Cornubia- Ethekwini Municipality by December 2025. Six hundred and ninety-two flood victims will take possession of their permanent houses at Cornubia by December 2026,” Duma said. 

The KwaZulu-Natal coastal area and surrounding areas were hit by the devastating floods that occurred between April and May 2022.

These floods resulted in the loss of lives (443 deaths and at least 48 of those lives still unaccounted for) and livelihoods, damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, schools, and health centres, disruption of services and displacement of people. 

Research data showed that the eThekwini Metro was the most severely affected in terms of households destroyed and people affected.

The National Department of Human Settlements said that central to the planned Operation Siyahlola is the delivery of permanent houses to families affected by disasters in eThekwini and uMsunduzi municipalities.

The department said working with all stakeholders, including traditional leaders and community members, the government was convinced that interventions aimed at settling all flood victims will continue to yield positive results.

Minister Simelane and the provincial government will also hand over title deeds as part of the government-wide campaign to register and handover 80 000 title deeds by 2029, thus unlocking over 16 billion asset value.

Meanwhile, commenting on the release of the August 2025 BetterBond Property Brief, Bradd Bendall, BetterBond’s national head of sales, said lower interest rates were not just helping first-time buyers; they’re also inspiring homeowners to invest in their current properties.

“BetterBond’s August Property Brief shows that building plan approvals for home additions and alterations are on the rise, up from 25.4% in 2016 to 31.5% so far this year. Many buyers who had thought about moving are choosing to upgrade their homes instead,” Bendall said. 

Meanwhile, the bond originator said FNB reports that approvals for new flats and townhouses are down 21% year-to-date.

“There is a growing demand for sectional title properties offering lock-up-and-go convenience and good value, so constraints on supply may well push up prices in this popular segment.”