-
The Cornubia Integrated Housing Project in ward 102, north of Durban.
The eThekwini Municipality says the first batch of houses being built for flood victims in Durban will be ready next month after construction was delayed.
The first 113 houses out of the planned 1200 units, which were initially set for completion in December, are still under construction in Cornubia, north of the city.
The houses are for those displaced by the 2022 floods. They have been housed in state-sponsored temporary emergency accommodation since the floods.
The two contractors working on the project had to rope in subcontractors to assist in fast-tracking construction. Durban Mayor Cyril Xaba says the city is also trying to source an additional R80 million for infrastructure and services.
Xaba says there are plans to build an additional 400 temporary residential units and work is ongoing on the renovation of a 500-unit building.
“So, we are likely to have, between now and June, 500 units from Montclair lodge and 400 Temporary Residential Units (TRUs)and this 113 that will be completed by March. That gives us a good number to start accommodating people who are putting pressure on us as we speak, especially those who are in transitional emergency accommodation,” says Xaba.
[WATCH] EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor Cyril Xaba, is confident that the municipality is making significant progress in addressing the housing challenge in the City, particularly in providing permanent homes for flood victims.
Mayor Xaba visited the Cornubia Housing… pic.twitter.com/onnEwfPdLD
— eThekwini Municipality (@eThekwiniM) February 12, 2026
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the eThekwini Municipality has slammed the slow pace of relocating flood victims to permanent housing.
DA chief in the human settlement portfolio committee, Councillor Zamani Khuzwayo, says that during the floods, disaster management always does the assessment.
“When they do it, we find out the number of people who are affected, and then when we do the budget, we have to also budget for them and build houses. It’s very unfortunate that instead of acting before, we only act after these incidents happen. Action in eThekwini, and even in the province, is always delayed. It’s very sad,” adds Khuzwayo. – Reporting by Zanele Buthelezi
