Pretoria - Residents in Eerste Fabrieke informal settlement in Mamelodi shook their heads in disbelief on Saturday morning after the raging floods swept away many of their shacks built near the river bank.
The affected community was left displaced and frustrated after almost all their belongings were destroyed during the disaster.
One of them, Robert Maswina, told the Pretoria News he was awoken just after midnight by knee-deep water seeping through his shack.
Initially, he thought that his wet bed may have been as a result of his 2-year-old daughter relieving herself. “I lost everything, including my ID and clothes and I am now forced to start my life from scratch,” Maswina said.
This is heartbreaking 💔 #CityofTshwane #flooding pic.twitter.com/wutehDf6sj
Another victim, Seun Masa, who has been residing there since 2019, said it was the second time they faced the disaster. He bemoaned the the government previously made empty promises to relocate them after the 2019 localised floods.
“We feel very bad that we have not been relocated to date, but there is nothing we can do about it. We only continue to stay in this place because we can’t afford to pay rent," Masa said.
He said he was back from work before the disaster hit in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Tshwane Emergency Services (EMS) spokesperson Charles Mabaso said flooding in Eerste Fabrieke was reported at approximately 2:26am, when it was reported that about 800 people were affected.
flooding in #Mamelodi. #Pretoria. South Africa #flood #flooding #floods #FlashFlood #heavyrain #HeavyRains #tormenta #thunderstorm #rainfall #alluvione #lluvias #lluvia #chuvas #aluvión pic.twitter.com/fXfqBXYnOJ
— NEWS/INCIDENTS (@Brave_spirit81) February 5, 2022
“Emergency Services and disaster management teams were dispatched to the area. A Gauteng EMS, 23-seater buses and 16 Tshwane bus services were mobile to evacuate people to temporary accommodations. Two SAPS choppers conducted an aerial assessment of the area and identified about 60 people on rooftops of their dwellings,” he said.
Those who were trapped on the rooftops hurled insults at the SAPS members and rescue teams trying to evacuate them, according to Mabaso.
On the day, the EMS team responded to multiple flooding incidents in various parts of Tshwane. “Reports of flooded houses and unoccupied vehicles were reported in the Montana Park and Doornpoort area from approximately 3pm. There were no injuries or fatalities reported in that area but only run-off water from flesh foods which later subsided. Multiple trees were reported to have fallen on the streets in Colbyn and Wonderboom South. One tree fell and damaged a wall on Colbyn Mews on Gordon and Weavind Street,” Mabaso said.
Roads and low water bridges in the Centurion area were flooded leading to the closure of the affected routes after some vehicles were trapped in the low water bridges. A car was recovered by a towing service truck before 11am on Friday in Witstinkhout Street after the occupant evacuated safely. “Some fallen trees were reported in the Irene Farm and cleared by utilities services.”
Situation at Centurion, Bridge before Centurion Shisanyama#Flooding pic.twitter.com/wwnr7HGZjx
— Nwana Wa Vhathu 🤝 (@maselibony) February 5, 2022
Incidents of flooding were also reported in Ramotse, Hammanskraal and in Makapaan Road, Bosplaas,” Mabaso said.
In Ramotse, only yards were flooded, and utility services were activated to dig trenches to channel water away while in Bosplaas, a truck overturned in a flooded water bridge. “According to the South African Weather Services, at least 100-160mm of rain was reported in parts of Tshwane,” Mabaso said.
On Saturday night, rescue technicians and divers responded to an incident in Dertig outside Tshwane borders, where 10 people were rescued from a vehicle stuck in a low water crossing.
A person was swept away by water in Babelegi in Hammanskraal. A search for the person was resumed yesterday after it was called off on Saturday night because of visibility and safety challenges. The affected households in Eersterust, Mamelodi, Gomora in Pretoria West, Soshanguve Block KK, Onverwacht in Cullinan, Hammanskraal and Marikana in Centurion were offered relief by the Social Development and Disaster Risk Management.
Pretoria News