Residents of Donnelly Road in Durban are in a standoff with the eThekwini Municipality over delays in moving them into a low-cost housing project that was completed in June of 2024.
The project, located in the Bluff area, consists of 76 newly built rental flats that were declared “practically complete” in June 2024. It is part of a municipal rental housing initiative, with rent set at R850/month for a one-bedroom unit and R1,800/month for a two-bedroom unit.
Over 60 families are currently living in a run-down building across the road from the new housing project. Residents say the living conditions are unsafe and pose a risk to their health.
Zandile Mchunu (21) has lived here for the past two years. She tells Health-e News that her child’s health has suffered as a result of the environment they live in.
“This place is not safe for children or elderly people. The water is dirty, and the infrastructure is collapsing. My four-year-old boy had diarrhoea for more than five days. At the clinic, they told me it was caused by water infections. It’s disappointing that our kids have to suffer because of the municipality’s negligence.”
In recent weeks, five children and several elderly people have fallen ill. Reported illnesses include chest infections, stomach problems, and skin rashes linked to contaminated water, damp walls, and failing sanitation.
Reasons for Delays
eThekwini spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, says the delays in allocating the 76 housing units are twofold.
“In July 2024, eThekwini water inspectors deemed the installation of water meters to be not in line with approved standards, which required corrective work,” she says. The work was eventually completed in the first quarter of 2025.
The second delay is social and arose when the municipality had to vacate the occupants of the old building to make sure that no new people had moved in while the new units were being constructed.
Sisilana says the Department has the original list of occupants and must ‘ascertain household income levels for the purpose of rationalising the allocations.’
“Unfortunately, when the Department began engagements for this final verification process, some residents refused to cooperate, citing concerns that the process had already been undertaken previously. This lack of cooperation has made it impossible for the City to finalise allocations at this stage.” – Health-e News
