Tongaat Welfare Society accounts for R929 000 in tornado relief funds

THE Tongaat Child and Family Welfare Society has provided a detailed financial account of nearly R1 million in tornado relief donations at their annual general meeting.

With 70 homes repaired and plans for 25 more, the organisation addressed public concerns about fund allocation, while facing questions from community members about transparency and construction quality.

In the aftermath of the June 3 disaster last year, the Tongaat Disaster Relief Centre was established - a collaboration between the welfare society, the Tongaat Civic Association, the Tongaat Hindu Unity Forum, and the Vishwaroop Temple. 

Harold Maistry, an executive member of the welfare society, outlined the relief operation, which was executed in three phases:

Phase 1: Emergency response, including the provision of hot meals and temporary shelters.

Phase 2: Distribution of food hampers, clothing, and furniture.

Phase 3: Long-term rebuilding efforts focused primarily on uninsured homes.

The tornado left a trail of destruction affecting around 7 000 formal and informal homes and displaced nearly 17 000 residents. 

Maistry said rebuilding efforts had so far prioritised uninsured households. 

“A technical team consisting of engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors assessed the structural damage, after which repair work began. Roofs, doors, and windows were the primary focus,” he said.

Progress and housing repairs

Maistry said to date, 70 homes had been repaired, with structural assessments offered pro bono at both insured and uninsured properties. The repair work by the welfare society included: 

• Gopalall Hurbans Road (1 house): Rebuilt brick walls, plastering, replaced aluminum windows and sliding doors, and both front and back doors. Jan Roz (3 houses): Roofs replaced, new windows and doors installed. One of the houses had the entire roof trusses reinstated.
• Naidoo Road (2 houses): Replaced doors and supplied building materials.
• Newtown (53 houses): Tiled roofs with new battens and underlay were installed. Ten homes required rafter replacements while six homes had foundational work. One house had three external walls rebuilt with windows and a door.
• Sandfields (3 houses): Provided roofing tiles and windows.
• Frasers (1 house): Replaced full roofing structure, timber windows, and two doors.

Financial overview

As of February 28, 2025, the welfare society reported a total of R929 479.44 in tornado relief donations, of which:

• R658 180.06 was spent on relief and reconstruction.
• R7 302.50 remains in outstanding invoices.
• R263 932 remains available for ongoing work.

Of the total funds received, R780 610 came from public donations, while R148 870 was contributed by the Community Foundation of Ireland.

Upcoming projects and funding challenges

Maistry said the remaining R263 932 would be used to complete roofing on 25 homes in Newtown.

Here, damaged asbestos roofs were being replaced with fibre cement sheets. However, a shortage of these sheets had resulted in delays, he said.

“Asbestos is classified as hazardous, and its removal requires certified specialists. The cost of replacing these roofs, including removal, materials, waterproofing, and labour, is estimated at R540 000,” said Maistry.

He said the welfare society would cover R263 932 and the Tongaat Hindu Unity Forum had pledged to cover the shortfall.

The average cost per home is projected at R21 600, excluding unforeseen damage.

Additional tornado relief contributions

Separate donations were also managed by the welfare society and included:

• R468 500 was received for tornado damage at the Seatides Combined School and R468 342 used for rebuilding efforts and R158 remained.
• R20 500 was donated for the Sandfields relief efforts and all of the money had been utilised.

Questions and answers

Newtown resident, Moyo David, told the meeting there had been a lack of communication from the welfare society when it came to the home repairs.

“As victims of the tornado, we have called for a community meeting to discuss the construction of our homes. Questions are pending about what construction was already done. We do not agree that the work should have started without a discussion. 

“Some houses that were done, were not repaired well. We are concerned,” said David. 

Clyde Pillay, secretary of the welfare society and Maistry, agreed to a meeting. 

“We will take a day out and meet with the community before the commencement of the construction,” said Pillay.

Businessman Ricky Naidoo who had in recent months questioned what the monetary donations had been used for, was also present at the meeting.

He questioned how R120 000 was spent on wooden rafters for one house.

“One year later, the rafters are still with the supplier but have been paid for. This is 18% of the total spend on one house. This does not add up. This does not reflect in the financials as well?,” questioned Naidoo. 

Both Maistry and Rishen Govender, the treasurer, explained that the rafters were in their possessions.

“The amount is actually R115 000 and the roof is in storage because we are waiting for the owner of the Jan Ross house to get money to pay for the labour to install the roof,” said Maistry. 

Naidoo also raised concerns about two sponsors that donated the R468 342 to Seatides Combined School via the Tongaat Child Welfare.

“A section 18 certificate (donation receipt) was given. You previously claimed that it was done because Seatides Combined School’s banking account was non-functional. This should not have been done,” said Naidoo.

Maistry replied that if they had paid directly into the account for repairs, that would have been illegal since it was donation funds. 

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