A distraught uncle from Zithulele Village near Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape said it was the smell of a decomposing corpse and flying that led the family to the body of his nephew after he was swept away during the floods last week.
His niece, Andiswa Mazwi, 18, is one of eight people confirmed dead – and whose bodies have been recovered – following heavy rains and flooding in the OR Tambo District Municipality since last Friday.
Thousands of families were displaced
Thousands of families were left stranded and cut off from essential services this week as most roads and bridges were damaged or swept away.
Large trees had fallen and debris from houses and damaged property was on the ground. Many students were unable to go to school, especially those attending Tyelenzima High School because most of the buildings were swept away. There is still no electricity, water and mobile network.
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On Wednesday, Keleke Mazwi from Zithulele Village told GroundUp that the family is grateful that they can get closure by finding Andiswa’s remains; he didn’t have enough money to bury a young boy.
“My sister has been sitting at home waiting for her son’s body. Even though we found him, we didn’t have the money to bury him. He is a 10th grade student at SMA Mpu Atas,” he said.
Nophosile Phakamile, who helped search for the missing villagers this week, said: “I saw another woman crying because her child could not be held. This flood has ruined our lives. As soon as a body goes missing, we will not rest until we find them all. “
Loyiso Ntungwana lives near the Mapuzi river with her husband, six children and grandchildren. He described a chaotic night, having to save his brother but regretting not being able to save his son’s girlfriend who was drowning. His home was completely destroyed.
“All my children are already sleeping, their mother is working the night shift… Less than an hour later, there was lightning. Electricity poles were broken and the whole place was in darkness. I quickly took the torch and called my children to wake up,” he said.
“I rushed to one of the rondavels and woke up my eldest son because the water was cold. I put the password [four-year-old] granddaughter in the back and took her to my neighbor’s house. I came back and the water was as high as the window.”
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Ntungwana said he found his two sons and his girlfriend on the roof of the house. He said the three jumped into the “strong current” and when they tried to help, they too were swept away and fell 500 meters as they clung to a tree.
“My brother came and helped me save my two children, 12 and 15, who were trapped in one of the rondavels. My wife was crying uncontrollably for her children … My house was full of water.” He was able to save his children.
Ntungwana said he later learned that his sons had survived but his girlfriend had not. “This flood destroyed my house and traumatized us. I don’t want to live here anymore. But I don’t have money to rebuild my house somewhere else,” he said.
Ntungwana’s son, Abongile, 21, said he was relieved that his girlfriend’s body had been recovered. “I last saw him when we were on the roof running from the flood. I asked him if he could swim? My brother jumped and he also panicked and jumped into the water. I also jumped into the water and was swept away near the spaza shop.
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“I was afraid of his family’s reaction, but they told me it wasn’t my fault. But I was heartbroken,” he said.
Coffee Bay community leader Zolile Rixi says everything has come to a standstill. “Lives, businesses and jobs have been destroyed. There is no electricity, water and networks. Six villages have been cut off since the Nenga Bridge collapsed. People from Hole in the Wall are also affected. Thousands of students from this side cannot access the school.
“We have about ten cooperatives with more than 2,000 people, mainly youths, who are trained here as divers and farmers. The place is full. We also have about four large refrigerated containers that the divers use to store crayfish that we sell in the Cape Town. But all the containers were swept away by the flood.”
Rixi added: “There is no refrigerator to store food. People cannot go to the clinic, work and access funds. The municipal government is still busy building alternative roads.”
Zimkhitha Macingwane, spokesperson for the OR Tambo District Municipality said that all municipalities in the district were affected by floods. He said eight people had died and two were still missing.
“More than 500 km of roads were damaged with at least ten bridges collapsed in Coffee Bay. The flood victims are gathering with their relatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gift of the Givers is helping flood victims with food.
This article originally appeared on GroundUp and is republished with permission.
Read the original article here.
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