Johannesburg - A stricken household of five in Sebokeng Zone 6 were still assessing their losses and damage to their home late on Tuesday following flooding that brought down their perimeter wall.
"There’s nothing we can do. We have to stay in this mess and try to fix things,” father of the flood-hit family Mochaka Makhorole said while pointing to items in the home, many of which were soiled by the dirty stormwater that gushed into the house.
Some of their food was also soiled. “And that’s dirty water. It was dirty, dark water that rushed into the house. We have to throw the groceries away,” added Makhorole.
Heavy torrential rain ripped up the tarmac outside their home. Coupled with rubble from the tar and other objects, the flooding brought down perimeter walls of several houses.
An estimated 70 homes were affected by the flooding.
Flooding has damaged dozen of home in Sebokeng Emfuleni local municipality during the heavy rain showers. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso Africa News Agency/ANA
Makhorole told The Star that water which flooded their property rose to frightening levels.
“We put the children in one room while battling the water. I gave up at one point because the water was just too much,” the father said.
Most of the damage to the home happened on Sunday.
Heavy rains lashed the area for a second day on New Year’s Eve.
It still rained intermittently on Tuesday, raising fears of more damage.
.floods in Sebokeng pic.twitter.com/3QHx7nI8kT
— Ephymol (@ephymol14) December 30, 2018
Heavy rains hit parts of inland provinces over the weekend, but Sebokeng Zone 6 saw the worst of it.
Makhorole and neighbours said their homes would not have been damaged if the stormwater infrastructure in the area had been up to scratch.
“The stormwater drain outside my house has not been working for more than three years.
"They have never come to fix it. The one down the road is just too small to handle the water.
“This just shows there’s no service delivery,” Makhorole said.
Mpiyakhe Gumbi, one of his neighbours, shared this view on the drainage system.
“The stormwater drain isn’t working at all. It would have dealt with the water easily if it worked, just like it happens in other communities," stressed Gumbi.
“The municipality needs to construct the tar and drain system from scratch.”
Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso Africa News Agency/ANA
Gumbi believed floods were worsened by the tar that got washed away. “We fought hard for it, hoping it would make things better, but what happened shows that this tar wasn’t right from the start. It’s a failed project.”
Residents discovered a dead newborn baby when the flooding subsided. "We believed it was a braai pack when we saw it floating. It was in a chicken plastic,” said Gumbi.
Albert Ngwenya, another resident, said they should consider themselves fortunate that the disaster struck during the day and not overnight.
“I rescued twins, holding them in my arms. We put all the children from the surrounding areas in one place.
“We were able to help each other because it was during the day. We’d be dead by now if this had happened at night.
“This is a disaster. We’re grateful that no one has died. But many things have been destroyed,” added Ngwenya.
Emfuleni municipality spokesperson Stanley Gaba said help was being provided to families that needed it.
He said the municipality would provide temporary accommodation, blankets and food.
Alexandra township, often prone to flooding, was not affected.
Joburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said officials went to the area to raise awareness and mobilise residents if flooding occurred.
“We were in the area to warn residents and teach them what to do if a disaster happened. So far, Alex is not in danger,” said Mulaudzi.