Durban - NEARLY 40 people have been killed due to inclement weather in KwaZulu-Natal since October 25.
At least five people were killed in Durban over the last two days as heavy rains fell across the eThekwini Municipality.
On Thursday morning, Thembinkosi Ndimande, 41, died in an outside room in Inanda when a neighbouring house on a slope above his room collapsed.
His family home, next to his room, was also severely damaged and two children, Sbonga Ndimande, 4, and Ayabonga Ndimande, 3, were injured and taken to a nearby clinic.
Thembinkosi’s brother, Mondli Ndimande, was in a nearby room when the incident happened.
“The house above fell on to his house and covered it and him while he slept. One person was injured in the house above,” Mondli said.
He said that Thembinkosi was the breadwinner because he received a disability grant which they used to help feed the family.
Also in Inanda, one of the first fatalities of heavy rainfall in Durban was 11-year-old Thandeka Nyawo who died on Wednesday night when part of the wall of her home collapsed on her while she was sleeping.
Thandeka was expected to start Grade5 at Uthando Primary School next year.
Her mother, Vuyo Nyawo, 30, was devastated by the loss.
“We’re all injured and we were all dug out of the rubble. The wardrobe shielded us so we only got injured,” Nyawo said.
She said none of them worked and they survived on an old-age pension and child support grant.
Nyawo’s grandmother, Busisiwe Makhaye, 74, cried at the edge of the bed in her mud-filled house.
“My house has now collapsed three times. This is the only shelter we have. My sister died, Vuyo is her daughter and I’m taking care of my grandchildren,” Makhaye wept.
Makhaye said she could not move and was now bed-ridden.
Yesterday the Makhaye family had already started rebuilding their home.
Meanwhile, in oThongathi, SAPS Search and Rescue, K9 and IPSS Search and Rescue searched for a 6-year-old girl who was believed to have been swept away by flash floods near a river.
KZN acting MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Peggy Nkonyeni, said the department had received reports that heavy rains had led to the collapse of many houses in Inanda.
Nkonyeni urged residents to be cautious and to pay close attention to weather updates as the inclement weather was expected to continue along the coastal areas of the province, including Ugu, eThekwini, iLembe and uMkhanyakude Districts.
There were also reported evacuations at uMhlathuze because the uMzingwenya River was overflowing, including localised flooding at Umvoti, Stanger and Pongola.
Last week, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said 31 fatalities and 135 injuries had been reported due to the bad weather since October 25. Damages were estimated at R560 million.