KZN FLOOD WRAP | Search and rescue teams commended for bravery

April 18 2022 - 12:49

Education minister to head to KZN as 630 schools affected

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga will visit KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods and to meet with the provincial education department.

Motshekga and KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Kwazi Mshengu will visit affected schools in the province.

The department said the latest statistics show 630 schools were affected, 101 were inaccessible and 124 have suffered extensive damage.

April 18 2022 - 11:57

Search and rescue teams commended for bravery in flooded KZN

KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka has commended the men and women in search and rescue teams who continue to look for 63 missing people in the aftermath of devastating floods in the province.

“We commend them for their bravery and commitment,” Hlomuka said on Monday.

The death toll stands at 443 with eThekwini recording 399 lives lost, iLembe district 30, King Cetshwayo five, Ugu seven and uMzinyathi two. The army is sending 10,000 members to help with relief, rescue and rebuilding the province.

April 18 2022 - 09:56

‘We lost everything’: Families face uncertain future after floods in KZN

Many families displaced by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal do not have land to rebuild their homes, people are missing and protests about electricity and water cuts caused by damaged infrastructure continue.

The Msomi family in Ekukhanyeni in Pinetown have vowed never to return home, fearing the floods will come back.

The family comprises five members aged 11 months to 30 years. Their father passed away in 2019 followed by their mother in 2020. They had retired from working in the security industry and as a cleaner respectively.

April 17 2022 - 19:15

Policewoman dies in KZN flood operation, alongside dog trying to help her

A policewoman, as well as a police dog who had tried to save her, died on Sunday during a flood search and rescue operation.

Sgt Busisiswe Mjwara, 42, was a police diver in the Pietermaritzburg search and rescue unit. She was conducting a search at about 11.30am in the Msunduzi river for three victims that had drowned earlier in the week, when she got into difficulty and drowned, police said in a statement. 

She was airlifted to a nearby hospital but declared dead on arrival.

During the same operation, K9 Leah from the Durban Central Search and Rescue unit also drowned.

Leah was attempting to assist Sergeant Mjwara when she also experienced difficulties.

IPSS Medical Rescue said its "heartfelt condolences go out to friends, families, colleagues as well as K9 Leah's partner and handler, Sgt Mathews Phakati. We mourn the loss of these heroes, and they will be missed in the search and rescue community."

April 17 2022 - 18:35

Death toll rises to more than 400 as KZN counts the cost of the floods

The death toll in the floods in KwaZulu-Natal has risen to 443, with an estimated 63 people still missing.

Premier Sihle Zikalala announced on Sunday that ongoing inclement weather was slowing rescue efforts on the ground. He said rescue teams had received 38 call-outs on Sunday morning alone where six more bodies were found.

He said one rescue worker had suffered an episode while working in water, and though he had been rushed to hospital he had not survived. For now, he said, rescue teams were still in action. 

April 17 2022 - 17:54

WATCH | Lucky escape for KZN man in floods

A KwaZulu-Natal man still cannot believe he survived the recent floods after his neighbour's house collapsed on him while he was sleeping.

Lizwi Madlala, 30, was asleep in his bed at home in Kwa-Santi, Pinetown, on Monday when he heard a big blast as his house flooded.

“I don't know how I survived. Most people died, including my neighbours, but I am still asking myself how I survived”, said Madlala.

He only remembers his bed floating backwards and veering left towards another house before coming to a halt. He sustained minor scratches from pushing away rocks being carried by big waves of water.

April 17 2022 - 12:51

Relief aid pouring in for KZN flood victims from civic and religious groups

Charity groups are rallying together to assist victims of the recent KwaZulu-Natal floods with vital provisions, including mattresses and potable water.

To date 14 tonnes of food parcels, water and other necessities have been distributed in flood-affected areas by civil society group We are South Africans, with another 20 tonnes due to be distributed in the coming days.

The group has partnered with several other civic and faith-based organisations to distribute public donations.  

“We have partnered with Robin Hood Foundation and Farmers Aid as bases of operation. We have joined forces with Creflo Dollar Ministries (USA), Community Circle Home SA, Rhema Bible Church, For Afrika (Jam International), Redemption Church, Future City Fourways, Toyota Knights and Roundtable of Southern Africa,” We Are South Africans said in a statement published on Saturday.

April 17 2022 - 12:03

#KZNFloods: Salga calls for climate-resilient infrastructure, strengthening of disaster risk management function

With nearly 400 people declared dead in KwaZulu-Natal during the recent floods, the SA Local Government Association (Salga) has called for climate-resilient infrastructure and the strengthening of the disaster risk management function.

In a statement, Salga president Bheke Stofile expressed his condolences to families that lost loved ones but also reiterated the importance of climate-resilient infrastructure and planning and identifying environmentally sensitive areas that need to be protected and preserved.

“This will be crucial in ensuring that communities are not settled in these ecosystems that would often result in loss of life and livelihoods due to floods, mudslides and other forms of environmental degradation,” Stofile said.

He said the destruction of the KwaZulu-Natal road infrastructure also serves as a wake-up call for the country to rethink how it plans and builds roads.

April 17 2022 - 09:00

The floods prove SA needs a whole-society plan to cope with increasing climate crises

My last memory of flooding in KwaZulu-Natal on the scale of the tragedy we have witnessed over the past week in Durban was in the spring of 1987.

I was seven, and on the first day of the floods it took me some time to understand the scale of the devastation we were witnessing, beyond the giddy excitement of learning that our parents would be collecting us from school barely two hours after our arrival. 

Information travelled more slowly in those days. It hadn’t occurred to anyone to be hugely concerned about the rainfall, until reports that the Umgeni River bridge was about to be washed away necessitated a wave of school closures in Durban North. 

April 17 2022 - 08:30

We need to prepare now for more climate crises

Devastating. Calamitous. Tragic. Words alone are inadequate to describe the scale of the horror experienced in KwaZulu-Natal this week. With more than 400 people dead, dozens still missing and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed, the floods of 2022 will go down in history as one of SA’s worst natural disasters.

All of SA will be united in expressing sympathy with the families of the victims, and trust that the rescue and recovery efforts will bring some relief to those who have suffered. For a province that endured the worst of last year’s riots and mayhem, the latest catastrophe will come as a double blow.

April 17 2022 - 07:30

KZN floods: Good news, and bad, for flood-hit homeowners

The good news for the thousands of KwaZulu-Natal homeowners whose homes were totally or party destroyed by raging floodwaters is that their insurers will most likely settle their claims.

But the bad news is they could only be paid about half of the replacement costs.

That’s because almost 80% of South Africans are underinsured by an average of 51.9% on their building and possessions, according to the country’s largest insurance valuator, Quantum Risk Assessment.

April 17 2022 - 07:15

Stranded pupils and teachers airlifted to safety after scary night

Hungry, wet, scared and with no electricity, 45 pupils and 15 teachers huddled overnight in their Molweni, north west of Pinetown school, cut off from help after a bridge was washed away by torrential rain on Tuesday.

The pupils and staff at Tholulwazi Secondary School feared for their lives — but were also panicking about their families' safety, said deputy principal Siboniso Hlengwa.

It would be 20 hours until the first sign of help eventually came — in the form of a helicopter that airlifted them to safety.

April 17 2022 - 07:00

KZN floods: Aid from around the world pours in for flood victims

South Africans have opened their hearts and wallets for the victims of the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of non-governmental organisation Gift of the Givers, said support from ordinary South Africans, social media platforms, celebrities and corporates has been incredible.

“The KZN flood tragedy has brought a new sense of unity in the country. We have received calls from embassies and international organisations to support us.”

The NGO is providing helicopter accessibility, specialised equipment and funding to help search and recovery efforts.

Community members with information about missing people should send it to Mandy on 072 818 2050.

Donations can be made to: Gift of the Givers, Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg, account number 052137228, branch code 057525, ref KZN Floods. Deposit slips can be sent to donations@giftofthegivers.org, with a request for a Section 18A tax deductible certificate if required.

April 17 2022 - 06:50

Floods wreak huge economic toll

The devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal will be felt throughout the economy as critical logistic networks have been severely disrupted. 

This week the Durban port was closed, and while some operations have resumed the  container terminal remains largely inaccessible.

Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said the authorities in KwaZulu-Natal had asked that, where possible, no more trucks head for the port “until the situation has improved”.

“There are already long queues of trucks along the N3. The Mariannhill toll plaza has a backlog of 10km, all the way to Hammarsdale, and the problem is that, according to the road traffic inspectorate,  the local communities are now targeting the trucks [for looting].”

April 17 2022 - 06:35

How hard times bring out the hyenas among us

I drove out of eThekwini, leaving behind friends and family, just as a picture was beginning to emerge of the extent of the damage done by the heavy rains that had kept us all indoors for much of the weekend.

Several hours later, now back in the City of Gold, I started making calls back home, checking on everybody amid worrying reports of roads being washed away, homes swept away by floods and whole families going missing.

Fortunately for my extended family and friends, all were still safe. A few had found themselves stranded on their way back from work and school. 

April 17 2022 - 06:25

‘Their screams were drowned out by the rain’- 5 heart-wrenching stories from the KZN floods

The death toll from torrential rains that brought down brick, concrete and steel structures, cut vast swathes of land and demolished roads and bridges in its wake, was more than 340 by Friday. 

April 17 2022 - 06:15

SA is reaping the whirlwind after ignoring warnings of climate change, scientists say

Extreme weather like the catastrophic floods that hit KwaZulu-Natal is becoming increasingly common in SA because of climate change, and the country's ageing infrastructure can't cope.

Experts say they have been sounding the alarm for years but authorities have been slow to respond. They warn that these changes will affect food security, which will lead to higher food prices and ultimately more social unrest.

April 17 2022 - 06:00

Moves to prevent corruption free-for-all as KZN picks up the pieces after catastrophic floods

The government is looking at bringing in an independent agency to manage some of the billions earmarked for disaster relief in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to avoid corruption.

Other immediate relief action includes erecting temporary residential units on stands where it is safe to rebuild damaged homes, and giving affected families R8,000 vouchers they can use to purchase building materials.

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana said on Saturday that the agency option is being discussed as a way of insulating the funds from corruption and ensuring that they are used for their intended purpose.