‘Cops never came, Cyril doesn’t care’: desperate Durbanites vent their fury

KwaZulu-Natal went from floods to fires on Wednesday as the devastating impact of one of the worst downpours in its history emerged and those affected vented their frustration by burning tyres on rain-soaked roads.

More than 300 people had died and the toll was expected to rise. Communities felt forsaken as residents desperately tried to cope with the death and devastation that caused roads and bridges to collapse, swept away homes and created fatal mudslides.

It is a disaster of massive proportions — floods in KwaZulu-Natal in 1987 also claimed more than 300 lives.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to flood-ravaged parts of eThekwini was overshadowed by hundreds of angry Bhambayi residents closing off the M25 highway in Inanda, north of Durban, with burning tyres and debris on Wednesday afternoon.

Community leader Mdu Hadebe, 37, claimed the community was aggrieved that no one had responded to their calls for help as three families were washed away during the recent floods.

“Three families were washed away. I personally called SAPS who said they were going to send the diving unit but no one has come until now. Second, we have not had electricity for five days. The president passed here without coming to hear the concerns of our community.”

He said many houses were damaged in the area.

“We don’t even have a space to sleep. We have got kids who haven’t eaten from Sunday because there is no electricity.”

Ramaphosa described the situation as a “catastrophe”, adding that he had requested financial aid for the province. This as aid organisation Gift of the Givers assisted in retrieval efforts.

“We need to act with haste to assist affected communities. We are working to gazette declaring KZN a provincial state of disaster so we can do things quickly,” Ramaphosa said. 

“Our bridges have collapsed, our roads have collapsed. People have died, our people are injured, so this is a catastrophe of enormous proportions ...

“This disaster is part of climate change. It is telling us that climate change is serious, it is here. We can no longer postpone the measures we need to take to deal with climate change.

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But right now the immediate situation is dealing with those who have lost loved ones, and making sure they are comforted, accommodated and well cared for.

—  President Cyril Ramaphosa

“Our disaster management capability needs to be at a higher level and so we are going to process that as we go on. But right now the immediate situation is dealing with those who have lost loved ones, and making sure they are comforted, accommodated and well cared for. We also need to help them to be able to bury their loved ones and also find their loved ones.”

Ramaphosa thanked the police, rescue and disaster personnel in the province.

He said the premier and mayor gave him a detailed briefing and that they were fully aware of the damage. 

“However, we still need to do proper assessment and we will get the professionals, the engineers, to assess what the extent of the damage is and look at the cost. We are going to spare nothing, make sure we do everything to deal with this disaster.”

Ramaphosa said there were many issues to sort out. 

“The road that takes 1,300 trucks a day to the harbour has been damaged. We will have to address that and find an alternative. But the government is getting into gear and the defence force is rolling out assistance and support to the people.”

He said 10 districts of the province had been affected and begged residents for “patience and understanding as our people are being pulled in all directions”.

Meanwhile, MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Sipho Hlomuka said the death toll had “significantly increased... across the province”.

“The president’s visit gives many of the affected communities hope as they deal with the trauma of losing loved ones and their homes. The loss of human life is one of the darkest moments in the history of our province. Hundreds of people have been left homeless, with many roads, public infrastructure and homes severely damaged.”

Hlomuka said the inclement weather was expected to continue over the Easter weekend and, with the ground already saturated, any rain could cause more flooding and mudslides.

He urged residents to seek alternative accommodation or use community halls.

KwaZulu-Natal police chief Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told reporters there had been so many deaths, there weren’t enough mortuary vans to cope with the situation.

“We are dealing with a state of disaster. The police are coordinating with disaster management and other agencies in rescue efforts.

“We have had to run around in eThekwini to deal with all the bodies.”

He said as there was a limited number of mortuary vans, “police have to play a role in transporting these bodies because there are just not enough”.

Mkhwanazi said private security companies had assisted  police and an additional 300 police officers from other parts of SA arrived on Wednesday.

He said incidents of looting in certain areas had been contained.