Pretoria - Heavy rains flooded hundreds of houses at Majaneng Village in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, over the festive period, leaving residents with bleak new year’s celebrations.
More than 200 family houses have been affected with some of them on the brink of collapse in the village and surrounding areas.
Sixty-seven-year-old Elizabeth Makopo has been living in the house she inherited from her parents for most of her life. However, she has seen it break down due to the floods and water in and outside the house.
Speaking to Pretoria News yesterday, the unemployed elderly woman said she does not sleep at night in anticipation of the house falling on her two children and two grandchildren.
She said: “We have been living like this for the last 20 years. My furniture has broken down. I’m just waiting for the house to fall on me.
“The only solution to this problem is for us to get a new home and move out of here. We used to pray for rain but now we are praying for it to stop.”
Many families have sought shelter from neighbours.
Another family, not too far from the Makopo family, is suffering the same fate.
Kedibone Mothiba, 36, a mother of two, has been living in the village since 1989 and as far as she can remember it has always been flooded.
“There are a lot of things that have gone wrong here. I have no choice but to sell this house, but who is going to buy it? What happens if this house collapses?
“We have spent a lot of money to build this house but have nothing to show for it.”
The family has resorted to building a makeshift pavement made of bricks just to enter the yard.
“We can’t even access the toilet! We need to ask next door neighbours just to relieve ourselves.”
Ward 76 councillor for the village Mavis Kekana said the problem with the area was that there was no storm water drainage.
“Two years back we were promised storm water drainage, to no avail. A lot of houses are being destroyed because of this. There are just not enough resources for us to fix this situation. We report this matter every day but get no answers. Political leaders come but nothing happens.
“At least there have been blankets and food parcels delivered to the affected families. We are doing everything possible to get this situation under control. It has been a big problem.”
The Pretoria News could not reach a City of Tshwane spokesperson for comment at the time of going to print.
Pretoria News