South African floods wreaked havoc because people are forced to live in disaster prone areas

HOPE MAGIDIMISHA-CHIPUNGU

RAPID urbanisation and government failure to deliver adequate housing are among the driving forces behind the proliferation of informal settlements across South African cities and towns.

These informal settlements are notorious for their perilous and unhealthy conditions.

This has been sharply illustrated in recent flooding in Ethekwini (Durban), the port city in KwaZulu-Natal province, and its surrounding communities.

The catastrophic flooding has claimed hundreds of lives and countless families have been displaced from their homes, worsening the dire housing problem many were already in.

It’s difficult to provide adequate housing, primarily because there isn’t enough suitable land in the right places.

The unavailability of suitable land for adequate housing is due to stunted progress in urban land reform.

This, in turn, is crippling the capacity of local governments to provide adequate housing in areas that are not prone to disaster.

The result is that a quarter of South Africa’s urban population is living in informal settlements.