Durban – Two children died and three were injured when heavy rains in the north of the province caused a wall to collapse on them as they slept.
The bodies of Muzi Sithole, 7, and his stepsister Bitumelo Khanye, 10, were pulled from the rubble in an outbuilding of their home in Haladu area, Nquthu.
Muzi’s grandmother, Busisiwe Sithole, on Sunday told The Mercury they were woken by muffled cries for help from the boy’s sister, Nomvula Sithole, at dawn on Saturday.
“We thought the room had been burgled and Nomvula’s mouth held shut. Her voice was faint, but her screams shrill,” said Busisiwe.
The family, who had been sleeping in the main house, approached the door of the room, asking the 16-year-old what the matter was. She whimpered that the back wall of the room had fallen, trapping them.
The family entered through a gap in the wall and, guided by Nomvula’s cries, waded through the rubble to reach her. Once she was freed, the family and neighbours, frantically searched for the others.
“Nomvula sleeps with Tumi (Bitumelo) and Muzi but after we found her, we still had to dig and dig to find them. They were buried under the stones,” said Busisiwe.
Large stones had been used to build many houses in the area, which were held together with cement or mud, she said.
Tumi’s body had visible injuries and blood due to the trauma when the stones hit her. Muzi had no visible injuries.
Nomvula, her aunt Samkelisiwe, 37, and her daughter Slindokuhle, 11, who were sleeping on a separate mattress in the room, were taken by paramedics to the Charles Johnson Memorial Hospital.
Rescue workers during recovery operations at the Klipspruit River in Kwaggafontein. Picture: NSRI
The South African Weather Service had issued a warning of heavy rains in northern KZN, including Nquthu, at the weekend.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs said disaster management response teams had been deployed to uMzinyathi District, under which Nquthu falls.
MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube, political head of disaster management in the province, said they would launch immediate relief efforts. “This is a sad start to the New Year As government, we will do everything together with councillors and municipalities and amakhosi to ease the burden on the affected families” she said.
Meanwhile the NSRI said it was called in Kwaggafontein north-east of Pretoria after reports that a Fire and Rescue officer had gone missing during a rescue operation amid flash flooding. Reports indicated that a taxi had been swept off a bridge and three people, including the Fire and Rescue officer, were missing.
The officer’s body was recovered from the Klipspruit River after an extensive search, as was the body of a woman from the taxi. The second person was found safe.
Since Thursday the SAPS air wing, with search and rescue members and other emergency services, has rescued six people from fast-flowing rivers as a result of the recent heavy rain, Limpopo police said on Sunday.
Three girls aged between 6 and 10 were rescued from the Limpopo River near Beit Bridge, the SAPS said on its Facebook page on Sunday.
In addition, police divers recovered the bodies of three young boys who had drowned in ditches in the Giyani and Mankweng areas.