WATCH | Heartbreak as search goes on for missing and dead in KZN floods

26 April 2022 - 14:38
By Orrin Singh, Emile Bosch and Sandile Ndlovu

Prayers ring out and cries of anguish are heard in Nhlungwane, Ntuzuma, north of Durban as police search and rescue units comb through a swathe of destruction and debris.

“As you are standing here, you smell the bad smell. It’s painful. People are crying everywhere, people are dying because of our sins,” prophetess Nonhlanhla Mlaba, 54, tells a crowd gathered at the edge of a stream who mourn the loss of scores of people swept up by the deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal three weeks ago.

Prophetess Nonhlanhla Mlaba, 54, from Nkululeko Yamastone of God, leads a prayer service in Nhlungwane, Ntuzuma, north of Durban, where scores of people were swept away by deadly floods on April 11 2022
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Prophetess Nonhlanhla Mlaba, 54, from Nkululeko Yamastone of God, leads a prayer service in Nhlungwane, Ntuzuma, north of Durban, where scores of people were swept away by deadly floods on April 11 2022

More than 400 people lost their lives and dozens remain unaccounted for after days of torrential rains saw mudslides and floods wash away roads and bridges and entire homes and buildings collapsed, the earth swallowing people whole, burying them deep beneath,  where many remain.

The pain in the eyes of Mzukiseni Ngaleka is soul-piercing as he searches for answers to why his mother, brother, niece and nephew became victims of Mother Nature’s unforgiving wrath. 

A lost and broken man, Ngaleka said his mother juggled the roles of mother and father.

Ngaleka is not alone.

Countless residents in eThekwini, the hardest hit part of the province, continue to search for closure. If it is closure they find, it is often in the form of coffins being lowered into the ground. 

Dozens of people gathered at the banks of a stream in Nhlungwane to pray for forgiveness after hundreds died in deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Dozens of people gathered at the banks of a stream in Nhlungwane to pray for forgiveness after hundreds died in deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
The tiny coffin of 11-month-old Ayabonga Makholwa is lowered into the ground at Mophela Cemetery in Hammersdale, west of Durban, on April 22 2022. The infant was buried alongside her four siblings who died when their home collapsed on April 11 in the Mangqondo area.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu The tiny coffin of 11-month-old Ayabonga Makholwa is lowered into the ground at Mophela Cemetery in Hammersdale, west of Durban, on April 22 2022. The infant was buried alongside her four siblings who died when their home collapsed on April 11 in the Mangqondo area.
The  home where Ayabonga Makholwa, 11-months-old, Axolile Makholwa, 16, Kwanele Kheswa, 16, Alakhe Makholwa, 14, and Iminam Makholwa, eight, were crushed on April 11 in Mangqondo when their home collapsed due to a mudslide and flooding.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu The home where Ayabonga Makholwa, 11-months-old, Axolile Makholwa, 16, Kwanele Kheswa, 16, Alakhe Makholwa, 14, and Iminam Makholwa, eight, were crushed on April 11 in Mangqondo when their home collapsed due to a mudslide and flooding.
Prophetess Nonhlanhla Mlaba leads a prayer service in Nhlungwane.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Prophetess Nonhlanhla Mlaba leads a prayer service in Nhlungwane.
A relative throws soil onto the graves of five children from the Makholwa family who died in the deadly deluge that swept across parts of eThekwini on April 11 2022.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu A relative throws soil onto the graves of five children from the Makholwa family who died in the deadly deluge that swept across parts of eThekwini on April 11 2022.

The sight of 11-month-old Ayabonga Makholwa’s tiny coffin being lowered into the earth hit home for many of her relatives when she was laid to rest alongside her siblings, Axolile Makholwa, 16, Kwanele Kheswa, 16, Alakhe Makholwa, 14, and sister Iminam Makholwa, 8, at the Mophela Cemetery in Hammersdale, west of Durban, last Friday afternoon.

The children were asleep about 8pm on April 11 in Mangqondo when their home collapsed, crushing them.

Those who were lucky enough to narrowly escape the claws of death remain in limbo, with closure a pipe dream. 

In Wushwini, near Hillcrest, the Gumbi family hold tightly onto faith that the bodies of three young girls will be found after being washed into the Inanda Dam. 

Police carry the body of nine-year-old Sthandazile Magwaza. Her corpse was discovered buried deep beneath sodden ground in Inanda, north of Durban, on April 21 2022. Her father, Khanyilihle, 51, and six-year-old sister Sthandiwe also died when a mudslide destroyed their home
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Police carry the body of nine-year-old Sthandazile Magwaza. Her corpse was discovered buried deep beneath sodden ground in Inanda, north of Durban, on April 21 2022. Her father, Khanyilihle, 51, and six-year-old sister Sthandiwe also died when a mudslide destroyed their home
Philile Gumbi, 28, and Phila Gumbi, 31, look where the sandals of eight-year-old Lubanzi Gumbi lie as sad reminder after she was swept away by floods in Wushwini, near Hillcrest. Lubanzi and hercousins, Slindokuhle Gumbi, 13, and Asanda Cele, 13, were flung from their home after it was destroyed by masses of rock that fell from the mountain above them on April 11 2022. They remain missing.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Searching for closure Philile Gumbi, 28, and Phila Gumbi, 31, look where the sandals of eight-year-old Lubanzi Gumbi lie as sad reminder after she was swept away by floods in Wushwini, near Hillcrest. Lubanzi and hercousins, Slindokuhle Gumbi, 13, and Asanda Cele, 13, were flung from their home after it was destroyed by masses of rock that fell from the mountain above them on April 11 2022. They remain missing.

Cousins Lubanzi Gumbi, 8, Slindokuhle Gumbi, 13, and Asanda Cele, 13, were flung from their home after it was wiped out by masses of rock that fell from the mountain above them.

Search and recovery operations to locate the bodies of the girls have proved futile due to the unforgiving and vast landscape.

While the lives of thousands have been disrupted, having been left destitute and homeless, the catastrophic floods, which have been described as among the worst in SA’s history, have again brought climate change into sharp focus. 

Experts claim they have been sounding the alarm on climate change for years, but authorities have been slow to respond.

Philile Gumbi, 28, and Phila Gumbi, 31, amid the ruins of what was once their home in Wushwini, near Hillcrest, west of Durban. Both their daughters were swept away by the deadly deluge that covered parts of KwaZulu-Natal three weeks ago.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Philile Gumbi, 28, and Phila Gumbi, 31, amid the ruins of what was once their home in Wushwini, near Hillcrest, west of Durban. Both their daughters were swept away by the deadly deluge that covered parts of KwaZulu-Natal three weeks ago.
Constable Fana Dlamini, 36, and Inspector Renardo George, 33, from metro police search and rescue search for the body of six-year-old Sthandiwe Magwaza, who died with her sister and father in a mudslide in Inanda, north of Durban.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Constable Fana Dlamini, 36, and Inspector Renardo George, 33, from metro police search and rescue search for the body of six-year-old Sthandiwe Magwaza, who died with her sister and father in a mudslide in Inanda, north of Durban.

For frontline rescuers it has been hell on earth as they navigate treacherous terrain to locate the bodies of the many missing. 

The government’s intervention saw 48 police search and rescue (SAR) units deployed to the province from around the country, together with 67 military SAR experts to assist with  recovery operations. 

Despite the bolstered boots on the ground, their task has been challenging. 

Much like his eyes, hidden behind impenetrable sunglasses, metro police SAR  member Renardo George concealed his emotions with laughs and smiles.

A member of metro police search and rescue hoists the body of a girl, believed to be aged six, into a military chopper at the foot of uMzinyathi Falls, north of Durban, on April 19  2022.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu A member of metro police search and rescue hoists the body of a girl, believed to be aged six, into a military chopper at the foot of uMzinyathi Falls, north of Durban, on April 19 2022.
A overview of the situation at Khokhoba in Resevoir Hills.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu A overview of the situation at Khokhoba in Resevoir Hills.

The 33-year-old father of three would eventually open up and explain the emotional burden of recovering the bodies of children. 

“As an officer I know the type of scenes that will affect me. I can deal with adults and teenagers but when it comes to little kids, it does affect me but also motivates me to finish the job. The emotion will always creep in, especially with kids, because I will think of my own children. But at the same time we cannot show that emotion because we have to be pillars of strength for those who are watching, the family or relatives.”

Police K9 search and rescue members prepare the body of a female child to be hoisted into a military helicopter after her remains were located at the foot of uMzinyathi Falls, north of Durban, on April 19 2022
Image: Sandile Ndlovu Police K9 search and rescue members prepare the body of a female child to be hoisted into a military helicopter after her remains were located at the foot of uMzinyathi Falls, north of Durban, on April 19 2022

Provincial government estimates put the cost of damage and disruption to the economy at R17bn. 

However, all the money in the world cannot attest to the suffering of those who have been left behind, the remaining people who continue to push on amid the devastation in the hope they can one day rebuild their lives. 

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