Heavy rains have wrought havoc in some parts of Potchefstroom in the North West where homes and infrastructure has been destroyed and animals killed because of the rainfall which caused three dams to overflow and flooded nearby settlements. JB Marks Local municipality spokesperson, Jeanette Tshite, has issued a flood warning to the community that three dams were overflowing.
“We’re letting people in the JB Marks local municipality area know that the Klerkskraal, Boskop, and Potchefstroom dams have reached capacity due to the recent downpour. The MooiRivier is now overflowing its banks,” she explained.
She assured the public that the municipality was keeping an eye on the situation and urged them not to cross any flooded bridges since even water only 30 centimetres high might carry a person away. Rysmierbult is among those badly affected by the nearby Klerkskraal dam which bursts its banks and makes certain routes inaccessible to residents. But no fatalities were recorded so far. Residents whose houses were affected complain that they have nowhere else to go. They said they must somehow get corrugated iron sheets from their neighbours to construct makeshift shacks to sleep in tonight
Mpho Ramokhondo is a mother of three who is picking up the pieces after her house collapsed. “I needed a place to sleep with my children, so I went to my neighbour and asked to borrow some corrugated iron sheets and some of the building stuff.
“I don’t know how we’re going to make it through this; I lost a lot of my stuff, and the dirt from our crumbling house is now in the refrigerator; but for now, a safe place to stay is what matters most,” she said.
Just 500 meters from her home, Lizzie Zwane was heard screaming: “Help…help, my house has fallen!” as she just arrived home from church and had just witnessed her home collapse in front of her.
Before she could even process what had happened, she heard her children crying and saw them rushing outside the house, begging for assistance. “I saw a water tank on top of the roof falling,” she added. She lost her home and was unsure where to begin rebuilding because the entire village was flooded. “I am out of words right now; I need to consider what to do, not for myself but for my children; they are writing examinations; I need to find a place to sleep so that this whole mess does not affect them when they write tests.”
Ward 28 councillor Mogorosi Moyo said he was in contact with the relevant departments to see how he can best help the residents in his ward adding that help is on its way.
“I’ve contacted the disaster management team, and they’re on the way to have a look; after they’re done, they’ll compile a report outlining the next steps for providing assistance to the affected families,” he said.
Last week, the South African weather services issued a level 4 disruption warning and forecast 80% rain, which are expected to subside this week. Localised disruptive flooding was especially likely in North-West, Gauteng, the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the north-eastern Northern Cape.
