Pensioner dies, tornado strikes, homes flooded, roads damaged as rain wreaks havoc

Persistent rain which caused flooding and much damage in parts of the country has claimed the life of a pensioner and left several people trapped in their homes in Lebalangwa village, in the Moretele local municipality in the North West.

According to Moretele local municipality, the elderly man who was with his wife, also a pensioner, died after being trapped in a flooded house during the rain on Wednesday.

The wife was saved by the emergency and fire department.

Municipality spokesperson Mothupi Malebye said the emergency team also rescued pupils trapped in a school bus in Bollantlokwe village. “But it was also difficult to rescue them because the bridge also collapsed, making it difficult for transport to manoeuvre and help the trapped ones.”

Malebye described the situation as chaotic and said municipality personnel have their hands full trying to help the sprawling municipality of 76 villages. 

“Some of them are trapped in their houses, the most affected areas are Kromkuil, Mmotla, Maubane, Bosplaas, Moeka, Mathibestad RDP, Carousel View, Lebotlwane, Lebalangwa Makapanstad, Ngobi, Mmakaunyana and Sediane View.”

Nyembezi Mathabe from the Mathibestad RDP section, described the flooding as a disaster.

“The situation is bad, walls have fallen and in my home water has flooded the house. The situation is bad here in the RDP houses. The worst thing is that it is not the first time and we have been trying to get help from the municipality. We can't even leave our yards because of the water, and the children's school uniforms are wet. Beds are soaked, food is damaged. Where are we going to put the beds so they can dry?”

Mathabe said many homes were affected and people were stuck in their flooded yards and are battling to get out. 

“We get scared every time it starts raining. We ask ourselves what it's going to damage next, is it going to be heavy? We can't even sleep at night, we have to be on guard.”

As residents are grappling with the unfortunate situation, Mathabe said they have had no communication from the municipality about any relief.

The New Tlholoe Road bridge has been severely damaged.

Moretele mayor Masango George Manyike said the municipality had activated safe houses to accommodate the affected families.

They are in Mmotla, Kroomkuil, Carousel View and Moeka, and others will be available in the coming days to accommodate other affected families. 

He said he had roped in all members of the emergency services, fire, disaster, police, social development, public works, municipal health and Eskom to assist in what could be the worst floods in living memory.

The North West department of education confirmed that it was also significantly affected by the rain, especially in the districts of Bojanala and Ngaka Modiri.

The department's spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane, said the primary obstaclewas that roads were flooded and inaccessible, making it difficult to get to schools.

“Nevertheless, the infrastructure of the schools themselves remains unharmed. In light of this situation, a circular was sent to school principals, advising them to caution learners, especially those in the most affected areas, to avoid attending school until the conditions improve,” he said.

Molokwane said the department was closely monitoring the situation and will offer additional updates as needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff.

He said in other parts of the province where the rain is not too heavy, pupils are attending school as normal.

Molokwane clarified that the department had not suspended teaching but had sent a circular telling principals they could release learners when weather was severe.

The North West department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs said the province was experiencing above normal rainfall.

Spokesperson Lerato Gambu said in Ngaka Modiri Molema district, the most affected areas were in Mahikeng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Ditsobotla and Ratlou local municipalities.

Gambu said reported incidents included motorists who were stuck.

Gambu said some houses, mainly mud houses, had been affected and damaged in some areas of the province.

“Municipalities continue to conduct impact and needs assessments to determine the extent of damage and establish the kind of assistance needed. Where there is a need, temporary structures will be provided and affected families will be given social relief packages such as food parcels, blankets and mattresses.”

The Limpopo province has been declared a disaster area, the department of public works, Roads and Infrastructure confirmed.

Heavy rain caused road infrastructure damage.

The department said some of the hardest hit areas are in the Waterberg, Vhembe and Mopani districts.

The department's spokesperson Emmanuel Mongwe said the department is aware of damaged road infrastructure and in some areas now intervening through the Dikgerekgere programme as a short- term solution. 

He said the department is in the process of procuring material needed to fix damaged infrastructure after an assessment of some areas have been made. 

“The procurement is made possible by the disaster relief funding already allocated, amounting to R400m,” he said.

Meanwhile, the City of Tshwane has temporarily closed Rietvlei Nature Reserve as of Wednesday until further notice due to flooding. The City said the flooding was caused by the persistent rainfall over the past few days and the roads within the nature reserve are not drivable and most of the bridges are flooded resulting in risk to vehicular damage and drownings

Tshwane received several incidents about most parts of the city where rain caused disruptions. 

One of the incidents included a tornado that occurred in Montana on Tuesday night which caused significant damage in the area along the Sefako Makgatho Drive, especially in a residential complex not far from the Kolonade Shopping Mall. 

Other areas that have been affected by these heavy rains include Mamelodi near the Mams Mall, Eerste Fabriek (Pienaars River near the banana bridge on Tsamaya Road), Soshanguve and Hammanskraal, among others.

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