AS MANY affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal, including eThekwini, picked up the pieces following the recent heavy rains, disaster struck again this weekend, as more heavy downpours delivered further telling blows to property and infrastructure..
Although no fatalities were officially reported, the weekend's deluge left many more people homeless.
Traffic in various parts of the KwaZulu-Natal ground to a halt, and many businesses could not operate after being flooded.
Even tombstones on graves near the Wentworth Hospital were eroded after a stormwater pipe reportedly burst, and produced a powerful overflow of water.
This came amidst the searches that continued for people reported missing people since last week.
The Ndlela family of Chatsworth, living near the uMlazi River, had hopes that their two loved ones who went missing after last week's downpours would be found, but it was not the case.
A sorrow-stricken Musa Ndlela said his two sisters, Ncami and Mbali, aged 23 and 36 respectively, were among those reported missing after last week's rains, which also claimed the lives of seven people.
“We just want to find the bodies of our loved ones and bury them with dignity. We have endured so much pain since they disappeared last week. We remain hopeful that they will be found,” said Ndlela.
Lamontville and other nearby Durban south areas were the most affected places in the city, during last week's downpours.
The South African Weather Services (SAWS) had to swiftly change their level 2 warning to a level 5 on Sunday as heavy rains poured over many parts of KZN.
According to the warning issued, widespread showers and thundershowers were expected in the western parts of KZN.
“Areas over the south-eastern parts of KZN have received quite significant amounts of rain, and more rain is still expected, which will result in flooding. Significant impacts are possible as these areas are vulnerable from previous rains,” read the warning.
As the inclement weather was expected to clear up on today, the eThekwini Municipality Disaster Management and Emergency Services were still on high alert.
Government departments and other private organisations teamed up to assist the hundreds of flood victims who were left homeless last week.
In a statement, the eThekwini Municipality said: “The aid comes after the recent heavy rains that occurred, which severely affected Lamontville and other areas in the South of Durban and claimed the lives of seven people while some sustained injuries after their structures were destroyed.”
The city further said no reports of fatalities have been received in eThekwini in the aftermath of yesterday's heavy rainfall.
“Motorists are urged to be on high alert as some roads in various parts of the city have been flooded,” said the municipality.
According to the latest statistics from the municipality's human settlements department, last week's floods resulted in 3676 families being relocated, and 2224 housing units were demolished.
Another 7916 families from 42 transit camps still awaited relocation to temporary shelters.
The city said it was currently in the process of reprioritising all the affected small transit camps for its planned housing programmes.
Many roads were blocked in the rain-lashed city of eThekwini. The traffic on the busy Mangosuthu Highway near Mega City was gridlocked amid the flooding in the area.
Some of the other badly affected roads includes:
- Tara Road (from the showgrounds to Checkers/Shell Garage; only accessible to high-riding vehicles)
- Blundell Road Bridge (leading towards Malvern)
- Isipingo Beach and Dakota informal settlement
- Isipingo Rails (near Checksave and Boxer)
Amid the crisis, the City’s Disaster Management and Emergency Control unit and non-profit organisations such as Al-Imdaad Foundation, Red Cross, Gift of the Givers, UIPCO and Toyota South Africa were also providing humanitarian aid and food to flood victims.
The South African Weather Services predicted no further rain for today.
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DAILY NEWS