Gauteng Local Government and Housing MEC, Humphrey Mmemezi, has committed to the affected families of Duduza, that his department and Gauteng government will assist them to rebuild their lives after a tornado hit the area on Sunday evening.
MEC Humphrey Mmemezi together with Health and Social Development MEC, Ntombi Mekgwe, visited Duduza to witness the damage caused by the tornado. Mmemezi said they have set up a team that is going to do assessment of the damages so that they can be able to plan accordingly.
“We have decided to deploy a team that will do each and every household assessment so that we can see how far we can go with our assistants. This will also help us to gather all the required resources when we rebuild this community,” said Mmemezi.
MEC said it is imperative that government provide solutions and the government is equal to the task facing people of Duduza. “Other institutions in the private sector have responded positively and their contributions should be commended at this needy time.”
He cautioned against political parties who use situations like this one to score cheap political points. “This is not the time to blame but to sit together and find a solution. It is premature to blame the contractor for poor workmanship when other private homes were also affected by the tornado. We need a proper report and stop jumping into conclusions when the investigation is still underway to determine the extent of the damage to RDP houses. We must accept what happened and not shift the blame as this happened because of a natural disaster,” said Mmemezi.
Health and Social Development MEC, Ntombi Mekgwe, said blaming is not going to rebuild the houses but what needs to happen now is that all stakeholders must work together to rebuild the community of Duduza.
At least 558 houses were affected, more and left more than 2000 people homeless with 179 injured, and one fatality was reported. The township was also declared a disaster area by the Ekurhuleni municipality.
The MEC also announced that the provincial Finance Department will open a trust account for donations to be channelled into that account to assist the affected families.
Enquiries:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
E-mail to Motsamai.motlhaolwa@gauteng.gov.za
