Sol tells flood victims to insure their homes as relief claims soar

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.

- SANDI KWON HOO

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.