University of KwaZulu-Natal town planner, Hope Magadimisha, said many of the houses in Tongaat were situated in the wetlands, which resulted in frequent flooding.
“As planners, we consistently advise against constructing homes in these areas due to the associated flood risks. There are relocation programs for existing homes at high risk of flooding. This could involve financial assistance, land swaps, or other forms of aid to help residents move.
“There are also flood mitigation solutions, which implement engineering solutions such as raised foundations, improved drainage systems, and green infrastructure, like rain gardens and permeable pavements, to manage storm-water and reduce flooding impacts for existing homes,” said Magadimisha.
Some of the affected suburbs include Plein Street, Fairbreeze and Emona, where some homes were in ankle deep water during the floods on February 26 and March 13.
Last week, the POST had a walk-around in Tongaat with Jay Lovie Govender and Shan Moodley from the Tongaat Civic Ratepayers People Movement (TCRPM) to assess the plight of the residents after the floods.
Many said they were disappointed with the lack of help from the eThekwini Municipality. They blamed the blocked storm-water drains and poorly-maintained municipal infrastructure for their ongoing flooding woes.
OLD MILL ROAD
The Outspan grounds, which is located on Old Mill Road, was the hardest hit after the river burst its banks, flooding the grounds.
The Tongaat Child and Family Welfare Society charity fair, which was scheduled to start on February 27 at the grounds, had to be cancelled due to the flood damage.
The society suffered a R1.5 million loss.
Prior to the flooding, the society had complained about the poor state of the municipality-owned ground. They spent over R240 000 to repair and prepare the grounds for the annual charity fair.
In addition, they paid R128 000 to hire the ground from the eThekwini Municipality.
A board member, Ragan Govender, said to date they had no assistance from the municipality.
“The city abandoned us. No one even came through to check on the site even though they saw how bad the damage was on the news. We contracted private labour to retrieve our belongings, like containers and structures. It’s disgraceful that nothing was done to assist us after the floods. The grounds remain in the same condition after the floods,” said Govender.
Jay Lovie Govender said the river was a cause for concern.
“There has been no maintenance of the river and when flooding happens, the council houses along the riverbank also get flooded. The municipality does not dredge the rivers, which results in the flooding that we see time after time,” she said.
Brake Village
Harry Muruven, a trustee of the Brake Village Temple, said rising water levels of the river during heavy rains had a negative impact on the temple, which was in close proximity.
He added that the overflowing water on the road, due to blocked storm-water drains, also played a part in the temple flooding.
“The water rushes in from the road. The drain doesn't work, so all the water flows right into the temple, leaving us flooded up to our ankles. This is nothing new. It keeps happening and the municipality does nothing to resolve the issue. The drains do not serve a purpose because they are always blocked.”
He said the municipality also failed to maintain the river.
“They don’t clean the river, and this is a serious issue for us because when the river bursts its banks during heavy rains, the temple is once again impacted. We tried putting sandbags on the bank of the river but it did not help. It rains every other week and we find ourselves in the same position each time.”
Muruven said the temple also utilised the Outspan Grounds for its Kavady festival in April - the biggest in the southern hemisphere.
“We are worried about our festival. We are not hopeful that the grounds will dry up by then. But it is difficult to predict the weather patterns these days,” said Muruven.
Plein Street
Pension Cottage, in Plein Street, has been hit by ongoing flooding since 2022.
Blocked storm-water drains have been blamed for the ongoing flooding of these homes.
In the last flood, the cottages from 38 to 45 were flooded, leaving the elderly residents distraught at how they would fix their homes.
Sheila Padavatta, 72, from house 38, said: “I am single and fending for myself. No one helps me in these times. People make empty promises. When the flooding happens, everyone comes to shake hands and inspect our homes. But no one ever comes back to help us,” she said.
“I survive on my grant money. After this flood, my fridge is broken. I have no money to fix it and nowhere to keep the little food that I have. Even my wardrobes are falling apart because of the water damage. When it rains, I become terrified,” added Padavatta.
Ken Sunker, 79, from house 44, said he was angry and fed up with all the empty promises for help.
“I’m sick and tired of no one helping us. We are always suffering. Councillors come by and promise us that they will help us but then they never come back. We are all old and forgotten. We can never recover. Each time this happens, we clean up and then we are hit by flooding again. We are scared. Many of us are not well off and the little we own has been damaged beyond repair,” said Sunker.
Grace Naidoo, 66, from house 45, said: “When the water rushes into our homes we spend the night cleaning up, until our hands ache. We are suffering and the municipality does not help us,” said Naidoo.
Des and Sheila Govender, both 69, from house 40; and Moonsamy, 74, and Gonum, 65, and Mariappa, from house 42, said they too suffered the same fate each time it rained heavily.
Naidoo Road
This community was hard hit by the 2022 flooding and last year’s tornado.
Here too, residents have blamed the blocked storm-water drains for the ongoing flooding of homes.
Resident Roy Pillay claimed the storm-water drains had been blocked since the 2022 floods.
“The area has been experiencing drainage issues, including flooding, water accumulation and slow drainage. This has led to concerns about property damage, safety and the environmental impact.
“The drainage issues started several years ago, with reports of flooding and water accumulation during heavy rainfall events. The problem has worsened over time, with increased urbanisation and development contributing to the issue,” said Pillay.
He said the main causes was clogged drains, inadequate drainage infrastructure, and poor urban planning.
Besides the flooding, raw sewage also spills from the manholes onto the road, said Pillay.
“The municipality has failed us. We are living in a smelly, unhealthy environment,” added Pillay.
Yogis Govender, the DA chief whip and member of eThekwini executive committee, said most areas in Tongaat had not been assisted by the municipality.
“Areas are experiencing dismal service delivery from the eThekwini Municipality. The complaints range from the river not being dredged to mitigate floods, to potholes, electricity outages, water outages, uncollected dirt, unkempt verges and bush clearing to name a few
“However, these issues have to be repeatedly escalated to municipal officials to a point where we as councillors are almost micromanaging reporting of faults and chasing escalations, which is not our core function,” said Govender.
She said when faults were logged by councillors to the call centre, they did not get feedback from officials and had to wait for residents to share information as to whether teams were actually on site or not.
“We have been at loggerheads with the municipality over the water crisis. If and when they do respond, these replies do not go down well with the community as it points to alleged incompetence within EWS.
“There is no sense of urgency or will to eradicate problems once and for all. Several recommendations to EWS to address low hanging fruits that will bring relief to residents are being ignored,” said Govender.
The eThekwini Municipality did not respond at the time of publication.