The community of Tongaat in attendance of the funeral
The tragic events leading to the death of a Tongaat grandmother and her three grandchildren, in last week’s floods, haunted the family of the deceased as they laid them to rest on Friday, 15 April.
The torrential downpour caused many homes to become flooded and rivers to swell up and swallow bridges in the North Coast and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal. As families began to flee to safety, some did not make it to the other side. According to the family spokesperson, Charles Chetty, they have been overwhelmed at the support and love shown by the community since that tragic day. To silence the rumours circulating about what led to the tragic incident, Chetty said it was a twist of events in trying to keep the children safe. “The parents of the children had their house flooded and decided to call the children’s grandmother to fetch them and keep them at her house until the parents were able to clean their house of all the water. After picking up her grandchildren they were on route to the grandmother’s home when they encountered an overflowing river. While trying to turn away from the river the vehicle was unfortunately swept away in the strong currents, Chetty said.
The grandmother and her grandchildren were laid to rest on Friday. It was a somber afternoon at the V Moonsamy Hall as scores of community members gathered to convey their condolences to the bereaved family as they said their final goodbyes. Chetty, said they were overwhelmed at the support and love shown by the community. He said: “The family is truly thankful for the support of the community and Councillor Dolly Munien. We wish to acknowledge all they have done. There were teams put together to assist in locating our loved ones and we do not want that to be unnoticed.
He added: “This community was ever present from the moment they heard of the tragedy. The Tongaat police had also shown great support, especially Station Commander Colonel Santa Moodley and Warrant Office Nades who stepped up when the divers refused to go into the water, and actually went into the river and found the granny in the vehicle.” Councillor Dolly Munien conveyed her condolences to the family and said, “The truth is, no matter how much we convey our sorrows nothing will take away the pain this family has experienced. The community must be commended for the determination and hard work put in to locate the family’s loved ones. I pray that in time the family heals from this tragedy.”
