The number of people killed in the flash flood has risen to over 445 with scores more still missing and more than 13 000 households affected by the earth moving heavy rains that pelted eThekwini and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal, last week.
Over a week since the destruction, that has displaced many and caused billions of Rands worth of damage, began, mop-up operations are underway and families across eThekwini are still taking stock of the devastation and loss that they have suffered. A number of areas in the north of eThekwini remain without running water and electricity due to the collapse of the Tongaat waterworks. In the wake of sub-tropical storm Issa, which peaked in the coast of South Africa, the residents in the Phoenix and surrounding areas were left homeless and starving as many homes were destroyed beyond recognition. The Phoenix Highway was a shocking sight to behold as uprooted trees blocked off roads and construction sites, parks and play grounds were flooded. Roads, pavements and barriers collapsed under the volume of water and caused, major traffic buildup. Schools were temporarily closed and community halls opened up to accommodate residents severely impacted by floods.
A Hawkham, Westham family of 11, was left devastated after heavy floods gushed through their home and destroyed all their belongings, leaving them destitute. Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, Dean Govender, 48, said it was a traumatic experience for his family, one that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. “I was shocked that within seconds, the water caused such destruction in our home, damaging our entire household contents, including furniture and appliances. There was major structural damage, due to the intensity of the storm, our doors were ripped off completely while, the volume and pressure of the water collapsed the retaining wall at the back of our home. We worked tirelessly throughout the night trying to get rid of the water that had come almost two meters high, hoping that we could save our belongings but unfortunately the storm was too intense and became increasingly risky for our family,” said Govender.
The family was trapped on the upper level of their property and were only able to escape after the retaining wall collapsed, forcing the water out of their property. Govender attributed the damages to poorly maintained and insufficient municipal drainage systems and questioned how they would be reimbursed for the damages to their property. Rhoda Govender, 44, said: “I was terrified that the children would drown as the volume of the water was so high that it reached up to their shoulders, I just wanted to get them to safety and away from the overflowing water.” Rhoda said that the children lost all their school books and stationery in the flood. “My daughter is in matric this year, it is such a crucial time for her and I’m anxious as to how she will cope not only with the loss of our home but with school this year.”
The Govenders’ immediate neighbours on both sides were also harshly affected by the storm, losing their personal belongings. As residents woke up to the devastation around them, on Tuesday morning, relief efforts by organisations began in earnest to assist those who had lost their homes to the floods. Councillor Moulana Tariq Mohamed, who was on the ground since the early hours of Tuesday, said he was inundated with calls regarding the damages to people’s properties and loss of belongings. “I visited many flood victims around Phoenix, Zwelisha, Amaoti and Inanda, including the Govenders’ home where I was shocked to see the amount of structural damages caused by the floods the previous night. I ensured that hot meals were prepared and delivered to flood victims throughout Phoenix and the surrounding informal settlements. Warm blankets, bread and other basic necessities were also handed to victims. Many of our communities including the informal settlements have been sidelined with no sign of resources from the government. There are people on the ground desperate for help, this is the time where we need to put our differences aside and stand united to assist the community,” he said.
Ward 50 Councillor Lyndal Singh, whose ward was heavily affected by the floods, said several families from the area were being housed at the Sastripark Community Hall. “In all my terms as a ward councillor, I’ve never experienced flooding this drastic. I visited two properties on Easterpalm that were on the verge of going into a nearby stream. Disaster Management and the Storm Water Department are aware of the situation. However, the best solution for these families is to vacate their homes and seek refuge at families homes or the local halls, because they rather lose their belongings than their lives. I’ve requested for more blankets from Disaster Management as well as food aid from SASSA, which is assisting with the food. In due course we are going to see how this disaster in KZN will be dealt with by municipality,” said Cllr Singh.
A concerned resident, Morgan Naicker added his voice. “These are the disastrous floods that KZN suffered in 1987 when 400 people died and thousands were left homeless. To date, the infrastructure has not been revamped and the municipality has not learnt their lesson as housing developments all over KZN continue to grow. The old pipelines that are in place cannot withstand the heavy rainfall and floods. Many people are desperate for houses but developers along with government allow the easy connection to old pipelines, sewerage pipes, storm water pipelines which blocks these outlets. This is a major problem that needs to be rectified or else we will have bigger problems in the near future.”
The eThekwini Municipality’s Spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said the April 2022 rains have been unprecedented but are probably what we can expect with climate change. “The City can intervene in cases of rental stock, hostels, RDP houses and informal settlements being affected. Private property owners can claim from their insurance providers. Reports are also sent to other private stakeholders for assistance for formal housing, this however, takes a while. Assessment teams have been out since Monday looking at damage and trying to help with connecting affected people to temporary shelter in community halls. Anyone who has not met one of these teams should contact their local Councillor to ensure that their damages are part of the response plan,” said Mayisela.
Mayisela said any other developments or changes will be communicated with all residents and the media in due course. “The City is in the process of redrawing all flood line planning documents to take into account the impacts of climate change. There is also policy in place to control stormwater run-off associated with the hardening of catchment surfaces from development,” added Mayisela. Meanwhile, on Sunday, KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, gave update on the status of the province following the floods. He said billions will be required to rebuild the province from this catastrophe. He said: “We are mindful of the fact that most of our citizens are recovering from post-traumatic stress related to this disaster. The magnitude of this disaster is overwhelming to all who care. A number of areas experienced water disruptions. A war room has been established comprising Ethekwini, Umgeni Water, Department of Water and Sanitation, Human Settlements and Roads and a plan to restore services is being implemented. Bulk Water Supply, 96% (520 Megalitres) of Durban Heights production capacity will be fully restored by Sunday, 24 April 2022. A 140 Megalitres per day will be recovered and this will cover the northern region of Durban – areas such as KwaMashu, Ntuzuma, Newlands, Durban North, Umhlanga, Phoenix and Inanda etc.”
Zikalala also confirmed that a total of 551 schools have been affected and that an amount to the tune of R1billion will be made available to assist in the Human Settlement sector. “We know that there is a total of 8 329 houses that are partially damaged, 3 937 completely destroyed and affected household are currently 13 556. With effect from Tuesday, the MEC for Human Settlement will lead the programme to identify land for temporary relocation of people, facilitate provision of temporary shelter and also work on long term interventions. We want to say without any equivocation that all the resources allocated for flood relief and the recovery and rebuilding process will be utilised in line with fiscal rectitude, accountability, transparency and openness. We want to emphasize the fact that, having leant the lessons of Covid-19, no amount of corruption, maladministration and fraud will be tolerated or associated with this province. We want to assure our communities that all the funds will be used prudentially and that no one will be allowed to feast on the suffering of our people in order to line their pockets. Work of quality and value for money will be done. We have been monitoring institutions that are in place including the Auditor-General. We will act decisively without fear, favour or prejudice on anyone taking advantage of the resources meant to assist the needy communities.”
