KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli called on traditional leaders to consider climate change when allocating land for those wanting to build houses.

This was after Ntuli on Tuesday visited families who lost loved ones during last week’s deadly heavy rains.

Ntuli said the provincial government’s intervention will focus on supporting the families during the funeral and, more importantly, assisting them in rebuilding their lives and securing adequate shelter.

He also saw a challenge as some houses were built in risky areas and said it was important they considered relocating.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli speaking to the media after visiting families who lost loved ones following last week’s deadly heavy rains. | Sibonelo Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers

Ntuli appealed to traditional leaders, to consider climate change and to start now and look where people were allocated to build and whether they have built in safe places. If there is land available, they should be relocated, he said.

“I’m calling upon traditional leaders who are allocating land for building houses in rural communities, they must, please, ensure that they give pieces of land in safer zones which has no potential of floods, which has no potential of what has happened currently, where there is no retaining wall, the soil is soft as a result when there is rain, it affects people quite badly,” Ntuli said.

“The call I’m making... it’s for the whole province of KwaZulu-Natal, that amakhosi and headmen (izinduna) they must make it a point that when they allocate a piece of land, they must be aware that the climate now has an impact, it’s changing quite fast, we are prone to floods in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.”

Ntuli said several people died by drowning after crossing swollen rivers. In Pongola, five people were buried in recent weeks, after they had drowned in a river. He said another two also drowned in a river in Vryheid.

He also said heeding the advice of weather forecasters during inclement weather is crucial.

Ntuli said the municipality had town planners and engineers inspect the soil before construction.

“Part of our call is that even some of the material that is produced by a hardware store must be friendly to the current climate change,” Ntuli said.

Lindokuhle Mthembu, 13, died when this wall collapsed on him. | Sibonelo Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers

Dumisani Shozi, 27, from Ensimbini, recalled the day Lindokuhle Mthembu, 13, died in the early hours of Thursday morning following a wall collapse.

“The wall collapsed onto the boy when soil from higher ground pushed against it. Then more soil fell on top of the wall,” Shozi said.

“The house was full of soil and we tried to get him out. We struggled for about an hour and 30 minutes, not finding him because he was buried under the wall and soil.”

Shozi said they had lived there since 2005.

“We’re at a loss for words because this is the first time this has happened. We don’t know where to go because the family is scared. We would like help so they can see they are safe and maybe what happened will pass,” Shozi said.

He said funeral arrangements are nearing the end and they planning to bury Lindokuhle on Thursday.

The Nkwanyana family home was completely destroyed following last week’s deadly rains. | Sibonelo Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers

Mnqobi Msomi said the family was lucky to escape.

“Looking at the state of the house, it was luck,” Msomi said.

The Department of Human Settlements offered to build the temporary structure because the family no longer has a home. This was to enable the family to organise 45-year-old Emmanuel Nkwanyana’s funeral and wake.

Msomi said all was lost in the structural collapse and even organising the funeral was difficult because all the necessary documents were gone.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Development has been assigned to provide psychosocial support to grieving families.

The Department of Human Settlements offered to build the Nkwanyana family a temporary structure. Sibonelo Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za