Flood relief claimants advised to take out insurance policies

THE RISING number of residents in Club 2000 seeking flood relief payouts from the Sol Plaatje Municipality have been advised to take out insurance policies.

The list of claimants has grown from an initial 50 to 110 households. Their homes are repeatedly flooded during heavy rains, while spillages from the Tlhageng retention dam — which was supposed to be reinforced — remain a threat due to the risk of collapse.

A group of affected homeowners living near the dam have threatened to stage a sit-in at the municipal offices this week until they receive the compensation they were reportedly promised.

They claim that, while a select few have received payouts, the rest have not received a cent.

“We are wasting taxi fare going up and down to the municipality while we are left to fend for ourselves. Many of us are unemployed and cannot afford to replace damaged furniture and beds. We have been waiting for assistance since 2015. The situation worsened in 2023 and 2024, when heavy rains caused the foundations of our homes to sink and crack,” said the residents.

They added that they were informed that raising the foundations of their homes — a proposed measure to prevent future flooding — would be too costly.

"The municipality should fix the cause of the problem."

In 2023, the municipality undertook to pay affected residents R5 million for flood damages after its insurance claim was rejected.

Insurance brokers found that the municipality had failed to take preventative measures despite similar claims dating back to 2013. The stormwater channel was also found to be inadequate in draining excess water.

DA councillor Ockie Fourie pointed out that homes remained at risk of a repeat disaster, as the dam walls were eroding and could collapse.

He added that an upgrade project, launched in the 2020/21 financial year to reinforce the concrete wall around the retention dam, had been terminated due to the poor performance of the contractor.

“The contractor completed 11 percent of the work after spending R1.1 million of the R3 million budget. Without the necessary expertise, Sol Plaatje then attempted to bolster the walls themselves, using limestone rock and inferior building materials prone to erosion. Sol Plaatje also increased the capacity of stormwater run-off flowing into the dam without increasing the capacity of the dam to retain and release it through the system, further exacerbating the risk.

“Aside from the initial heightening and widening of the dam walls, following the 2009 flood, Sol Plaatje has made little effort to ensure that the dam is safe.”

Ward 17 councillor Nomizizi Maputle admonished the community for their actions. 

“I am disturbed at their audacity. Even before I was appointed as the ward councillor, I used to go from house to house attending to the problem. I am an affected resident in the area. My claim was also rejected - the municipality cannot pay everyone who is affected by natural disasters.”

She added that insurance typically does not cover claims arising from natural disasters, and the municipality had already gone beyond its duty by paying claims from its own funds.

“An engineering team will visit the Tlhageng dam site on July 29 to make an assessment. Work is being done to fix Convection Road and Didimalo Street.” 

A municipal official addressing residents said that the original list of claimants and supporting evidence of damages suffered was “nowhere to be found”.

“It was agreed to accept late submissions. However, the list of households has more than doubled from 50 to 110, creating budgetary constraints. The municipality has since moved to a new insurance company, and it’s unlikely that it will pay out claims previously rejected. The matter may have to go back to council, which could also reject further payments,” she explained.

She also noted that some claims were submitted by residents not living in the affected ward.

Municipal manager Thapelo Matllala recommended that residents take out insurance policies to cover future losses.

“I have seen the poor living conditions with my own eyes. It is difficult to verify all the rightful beneficiaries,” he said.

Matllala added that the municipality remained committed to raising the foundations of the affected homes.

Meanwhile, community leader Thabiso Louw said that Ward 31 residents were compiling a list of grievances, including a demand to replace their councillor, who they claim has relocated to town.

“The ward wants the representative to be replaced by someone who experiences the same poor service delivery conditions that they are subjected to.”