Durban - A 70-year-old Hindu temple in Umhlatuzana, Chatsworth, has been destroyed by the storm ravaging the KwaZulu-Natal province.
The temple, which sits on a bank next to the Umhlatuzana River, was seen submerged in water as pieces of the structure slowly fell away into the river.
IOL photojournalist Doctor Ngcobo braved the elements and captured a video of the temple being washed away.
It is a sore topic for community members who visit the temple as it suffered around R500 000 in damages during the heavy rains and flooding in 2017.
Assistant secretary of the temple, Kureasha Moodley, told IOL on Tuesday that it happened around the same time as it did in 2017. After the 2017 damage, the temple was rebuilt with donations and sponsors from community members.
During that time, only the temple yard suffered major damage, but the recent storm destroyed the entire place, Moodley said.
The temple, which is an integral part of the Hindu community in Chatsworth and surrounding areas, was recently done up and had a few new installations that were all washed away.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, temple members had to rush to the site to rescue two people who live at the temple.
Moodley said the entire place was in darkness and flooded. She said the two men were found in a staircase desperately trying to evade the raging waters.
“The deities in our Vishnu temple are still there, but in the mother temple everything is gone. We could not remove them because they are solid granite and are fixed to the temple floor.
“It is the only temple in the area and I think our devotees have been coming here for over 60 to 70 years. For the past number of years, we have built it up and extended and even added a hall, but after this it will take us a very long time to get back to where we were,” Moodley said.
“The last time, the mother temple and some parts of the yard were still standing. The water came in through doors and windows, but this time the temple yard is non-existent,” she added.
IOL