DURBAN - Three people died in KwaZulu-Natal in heavy rains that lashed the province on Wednesday night.
In KwaMashu, two men died when a wall collapsed on their shack in an informal settlement in Siyanda.
In Mtubatuba in northern KZN, a person got swept away while trying to cross a flooded, low-lying bridge in KwaMyeko.
Community members recovered the person who drowned in Mtubatuba while rescue workers worked for several hours yesterday to recover the bodies of the KwaMashu men.
The SAPS search and rescue teams together with the Ethekwini Fire Department has found the first of two bodies that were covered after a wall collapsed into the information Settlememt structure.
— Sakhiseni Nxumalo (@SakhiNxumalo) February 25, 2021
#KwaMashuWallCollapse pic.twitter.com/eS7AQTvH5k
Twenty-eight-year-old Simo Mkhize together with Nkosinathi Mbatha, 25, had been asleep in their shack around 1am when a wall collapsed on to their shack.
A third man, who had also been in the shack, escaped with minor injuries.
KZN Emergency Service spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said the third man was treated on the scene and didn’t wish to be transported to the hospital.
Describing the incident, a resident said he heard a loud, rumbling sound and thought it was thunder. He said that a few minutes later, he heard a man screaming for help and he immediately went to check.
“My son and I went to the scene. When we got there, they were already covered by the wall. One person who screamed for help was lying on the ground as he was injured on the head and arm.”
He said that they tried to lift the debris, but it was too heavy and also, it was dark and raining.
“There was nothing we could do, and we decided to call the police. I always see such (incidents) being reported on television, I never thought it will happen in my neighbourhood. It's traumatising,” said the resident.
When The Mercury attended the scene yesterday, a large crowd of residents had gathered to watch as the search and rescue worked to recover the bodies.
The rescue team managed to recover one of the men just after 10am, however, the second man was recovered just after 1pm as a TLB had to be used to remove some of the rubble.
Hlengiwe Mathaba, Mbatha’s relative, said that when they received a call about the incident, they immediately drove from Stanger to KwaMashu.
Mathaba said they had hoped that his relative would be found alive.
“When we saw how everything had collapsed, I immediately lost all hope. It’s very painful to lose a family member in such a way,” she said.
According to the grieving relative, Mbatha was looking forward to furthering his studies after completing a Public Management Diploma at the Durban University of Technology in 2019.
“He wanted to go far in life and also with his studies. He wanted to join the military, and we are truly saddened to lose him in such a painful manner. He was our hope in lifting the family and providing a better life,” she said.
Mkhize’s sister could not speak as she was very emotional.
Local ward councillor Mamane Xulu described the incident as traumatising.
She said that the area often experienced mudslides after heavy rains which resulted in a number of families being left homeless.
“People living in the lower areas are always affected whenever there are floods. We have been calling for the municipality housing department to assist us in providing houses for these people. We hope that they will now see the need to act fast,” said Xulu.
KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Sipho Hlomuka said disaster management teams had been sent to respond to several incidents throughout the province.
He further said a directive has been issued to the disaster management teams to continue to monitor areas that were prone to flooding as inclement weather conditions were expected to continue.
Meanwhile, Hlomuka welcomed the declaration of the national state of disaster by the national Minister of Cogta, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, for areas that were affected by strong winds and floods due to tropical storm Eloise and summer seasonal rains.
“The Gazette, which was signed by the Minister on Wednesday, paves the way for a raft of measures to be implemented by organs of state and municipalities in addressing the extensive destruction left by the storms. The damages experienced by the province since 24 January are estimated at R989-million,” said Hlomuka.