’This was very painful to witness’: community rallies to aid flood victims in KZN’s New Hanover

“The water came in minutes. Not rising, not creeping ― it was charging.”

That is how Mzwakhe Zondi, a lifelong resident of Shiyabazali in New Hanover in KwaZulu-Natal’s midlands, remembers the torrent that tore through his property on Sunday afternoon, leaving almost nothing standing.

The raging floodwaters washed away three people, countless livestock, and damaged homes and infrastructure, displacing about 100 residents. On Monday morning, the body of a 53-year-old woman — one of the three swept away — was discovered in a small forest about a kilometre from the property.

UMshwathi municipality, KZN disaster teams and volunteers from the community are still searching for the two remaining bodies.

Zondi confirmed that the three victims, all from the Eastern Cape, were tenants in his rental cottages on the banks of the Injisuthi River.

“This was very painful to witness and I’m sure it will be even more painful for the victims’ families. I’d like to send my condolences to them,” Zondi told Sunday Times, standing amid the mud and rubble that used to be his home.

“Seeing all this is very painful, and we don’t know what we’re going to do. We just have to understand that this is not something caused by a person. It is an act of God; it can happen to anyone.”

Zoliswa Nkonzi, a friend and colleague of one of the missing, Lungile Bhonswayo, said he had been inside his room when the floods began.

“The water had already flooded the house, and as he tried to escape, the water in the yard swept him away. He tried to save someone but was unsuccessful and they all disappeared,” she said.

“We are devastated. He was someone I knew very well because we worked together and lived closely with him for years.”

Zondi credited local residents and emergency groups, including a local 911 volunteer network, for their quick response.

“Those who survived were helped by the local boys and neighbours, they’re the ones who managed to pull people out. One person was rescued through a window, he managed to grab it and hold on,” he said.

“The disaster teams arrived quickly, they came fast. The people who helped first were the group we work with from 911. I contacted them and they sent emergency services quickly.”

KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli conveyed condolences to the affected families and urged communities to stop building homes along riverbanks.

“The cottages they were using were built on the bank of a river and, as a result, they were washed away while they were inside. If our earlier calls to move away from such areas had been heeded, maybe we might be speaking a different language — not talking about lost lives,” Ntuli said.

Human settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said national disaster officials had joined provincial teams on the ground and were identifying land for temporary residential units for the victims.

He confirmed the search operation was paused on Monday and would resume on Tuesday, with teams guided by capable disaster personnel.

He insisted that weather authorities had issued warnings early but communities living close to flood lines remained at high risk.

He added that the department is still trying to locate the families of the victims.

Duma also noted that the people who were displaced included undocumented foreign nationals who ran away from officials when asked questions during the verification process.

“We were also bringing in the department of home affairs when they disappeared,” he said.

“We are concerned about such people who are building on riverbanks and refusing to co-operate with officials.”

For Zondi, while his family survived, his material losses were total. The cottages he built with his savings, his livestock and even his hunting dogs were swept away in moments.

“The rain that really caused the damage lasted just a matter of minutes, and everything had been destroyed,” he said.

“You could literally see the water coming up fast. Boom, it came straight through here, bringing dirt, sticks, everything with it.”

Zondi suspects water may have surged from one of two dams in the area but says he may never know the exact cause. What is certain is the magnitude of his loss.

“My cattle are gone, my goats are gone, my dogs are gone. I had 12 dogs, 12 goats, 15 cattle, many chickens. Everything I had is gone,” he said.

Eight of his 13 cottages had been occupied, each generating R850 in rental, mostly from farmworkers.

Now, as he surveys the shattered remains of his life’s work, Zondi says all he wants is a fresh start somewhere safer.

“I want to move away from here completely. I just want help to get another place, a site where I can start again and continue with my life. But here, I am done.”

Reflecting on the lesson, he hopes others will take from his experience.

“You can’t fall once and then allow yourself to fall over the same stone again. If you fall over a stone, you must try to move it so that it doesn’t trip you again another day.”