PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The R4-million's worth of temporary housing building material that had been stored at the Plettenberg Bay Airport for several years, was finally put to good use about a week ago when Covie and Kurland residents were handed keys to emergency homes.
Acting Mayor Sandiso Gcabayi said that these residents were the first to be handed keys to the recently erected emergency housing units in different wards in Bitou.
"These were part of the 69 emergency housing units that were donated by the Department of Human Settlements for residents affected by fires in 2019," Gcabayi said.
He explained how it came about that the material ended up in storage at the airport.
Following the fires the Bitou Municipality submitted an application for financial assistance to the national Department of Human Settlements and in November that year received approval of R3 988 200 for the establishment of emergency housing structures.
The material was meant to be used to build temporary homes for 71 families in Bossiesgif, Pine Trees, Harkerville, Kwanokhuthula and Kurland after fires gutted about 60 homes in the area. It was stipulated that the emergency housing had to be fire-proof and had to be delivered to the affected communities within two months.
One of the emergency housing units erected in Kurland.
The time constraints, and other difficulties, led to various issues that had a knock-on effect, including the community rejecting the temporary homes that were erected. The municipality had no choice but to store the materials for the time being.
"The Bitou Council [then] resolved that needy beneficiaries must be identified in all seven wards and that these units be given to them," said Gcabayi.
On 8 July the keys were handed over to the first beneficiaries in Covie and Kurland. Mamoeketsi Khetsi of the Bitou Department of Human Settlements said ablution facilities would be installed shortly. More of these units will be handed to selected beneficiaries in the other wards in the coming weeks.
The beneficiaries, that included crèches and needy families, were all very happy and expressed their gratitude. "Some did not have any decent roof over their heads for years while those that run crèches in their small properties saw this as a welcome relief to their plight," Gcabayi said.
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