DURBAN - The Human Settlements Portfolio Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature will be holding public hearings on the KZN elimination and prevention of re-emergence of the Slums Bill of 2020.
The hearings will be held between February 19 and March 6, 2021.
These hearings are intended to enable people who are living in informal settlements and other stakeholders such as structures representing shack-dwellers, non-governmental organisations, municipalities etc to make input to the Portfolio Committee.
The bill seeks to repeal Section 16 of the KZN Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act, 2007 (Act No: 6 of 2007) following the Constitutional Court decision, in 2009, which ruled that such section is in conflict with the Constitution and rule of law.
It is a progressive bill with noble intentions to eliminate slums and provide the inhabitants with proper habitable homes.
The only problem which led to the Constitutional Court ruling against section 16 was that in eliminating and upgrading slums, the occupants of those dwellings would have had to be evicted but this process which is in section 16 of implementing eviction was found to be unconstitutional and so Section 16 has to be repealed.
Interested parties are invited to take part in these hearings, however because the country is still operating under Covid-19 lockdown level 3, meetings will only be limited to a number of people as permitted by the regulations.
These meetings will be held in three formats, virtual, hybrid and physical. Those who will be unable to attend because of observing Covid-19 regulations will be given a chance to make their inputs through various forms of social media.
Their input will be captured and form part of the committee’s report. Venues for the eThekwini hearings which are scheduled for KwaMashu and Mayville will be communicated to the people of Ethekwini in due course.
20 February 2021. 10am to 4.30pm Ugu District (Gcilima Information Centre)
24 February 2021. 10am to 4.30pm Umsunduzi City Hall
6 March 2021. 10am to 4.30pm Osizweni Community Hall
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