Duma said he is accelerating the profiling of residents living in KZN Seaview Cemetery shacks.
More than 400 community members are currently living in informal settlements at Seaview Cemetery in Ward 64 under the eThekwini Municipality.
Some shacks were built directly on top of graves, according to KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma.
The MEC on Sunday revealed that he instructed the Head of the Department of Human Settlements, Max Mbili, to work with eThekwini Municipality to expedite the profiling of families living in the cemetery on Coedmore Road.
History of Cemetery living relocation efforts
Duma explained that the democratic government under Nelson Mandela prioritised housing construction for communities in the area shortly after 1994.
Priority was given to families who had lived in the area since 1981.
“It is unfortunate that despite having relocated communities, some came back to the area and others built new informal settlements in the same area,” said Duma.
He stated that around 2000, several officials oversaw the relocation of families from the cemetery area to newly built homes in Welbedacht, Chatsworth.
These officials included the late KZN MEC for Housing, Dumisane Makhaye; former MEC for Housing, Mike Mabuyakhulu; former eThekwini Mayor, Obed Mlaba; and Nigel Gumede, former Chair of the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee.
ALSO READ: ‘We feel used’: Was Chris Hani land allocation just a political ‘publicity stunt’?
Call for respect of sacred spaces
Despite understanding that people migrate to eThekwini from distant areas seeking socio-economic opportunities amid housing and land shortages, Duma emphasised the need to respect burial grounds.
“Cemeteries are sacred places where the dead must be allowed to rest in peace,” the MEC stated.
“We call on communities to respect the departed soul.”
Ongoing challenges and research
The department continues to engage with Ratepayers Associations representing people living around state-owned land where housing development for needy communities faces obstacles.
Meanwhile, the department is undertaking comprehensive research studies focusing on housing needs across four key areas:
- Housing needs of households living on privately owned land and facing eviction
- Households in both rural and informal settlements living in disaster-prone areas
- Households living in graveyards such as Seaview Cemetery
- Housing needs of farm dwellers
ALSO READ: KZN flood victims face eviction crisis as government scrambles for R128m
Research partnerships and pilot programs
According to Duma, the research will be conducted in collaboration with several institutions, including the Moses Kotane Research Institute, National Home Builders Registration Council, Stats SA, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
While research continues, the department has identified the Greater Kokstad Local Municipality as the pilot site for the Agri-Village programme.
This initiative will involve the Department of Land Affairs and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (formerly the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development).
“The focus is on improving the living conditions of farm dwellers by ensuring access to decent houses, access to basic services like water and electricity, access to roads, and socio-economic opportunities,” Duma concluded.
READ NEXT: Toddler and 25-year-old killed in Kennedy Road Settlement fire