There were scenes of utter devastation, as if from a movie set, in oThongathi on Tuesday after Monday’s storm brought heavy rain and wind that battered five districts in the province.
Emergency rescue workers, provincial disaster management authorities and aid organisations were on the ground to assist with water, food and blankets as more than 120 people found themselves without homes and thousands were without power.
By Tuesday, distraught residents in Newtown, Burbreeze and Seatides in oThongathi were picking up the pieces of what was left of their homes with reports of some refusing to leave their properties unguarded.
In Newtown, Belinda Mngadi, 61, spoke of the tragedy that had befallen her tenants when a fridge fell on top of twin 1-year-old girls.
“It all happened so fast. “Soon after the storm passed, the mother of the twins came running to me crying and asking for help. My son ran to assist them and found that the roof had blown off and the fridge had fallen over the twins. My son lifted up the fridge and took the babies outside, the first one was already dead and the other one had blood oozing out of her ears.
“I wrapped the lifeless bodies of the twins and we all ran to our neighbour for shelter because my house was destroyed,” she said.
South African Weather Service (Saws) forecaster Siphesihle Dlamini said a tornado-like column of violently rotating air was behind the destruction in oThongathi.
In Burbreeze, Leon Mkhize, 15, said he was with four other people from his local church who were praying at Dudley Pringle Dam when they saw the storm approaching.
“It happened so fast because we were shocked by how dark the clouds had become and we heard what sounded like water from above.
“The wind was spinning the water upwards in the middle of the dam and it was growing bigger and bigger.
“I told everyone to run but we were far from home and we hid in a nearby sugar cane field and prayed. We watched the tornado destroying houses,” said Mkhize.
As soon as the storm passed he ran home to check on his 70-year-old grandmother and found her hiding under her bed. His grandmother, Tholakele Dlamini, said the wind had torn off a section of her roof and she immediately took cover.
“When the roof blew off, water gushed in and on to the electricity meter box. I do not know how I survived. I was worried about my grandchild and thought the storm had taken him.”
Dlamini said she had not taken her medication on Tuesday as there was no food for her to eat.
“There is no electricity or water,” she said.
Thokozani Mthiyane, 24, who owns a barber business in Fairbreeze, said he hid in a nearby neighbour’s property as the storm broke apart his shop.
“I heard noises, then people screaming and I went outside to see what was happening and then the tornado was ripping off the roof of my shop.
My clients and I hid in a corner of my neighbour’s property,” said Mthiyane.
They were hit by debris but this lasted less than a minute, he said.
Bilall Jeewa, the provincial spokesperson of aid organisation Gift of the Givers, said people were desperately in need of food and shelter.
“Food and shelter is a major issue, especially as children are affected. There is also a desperate need for water because water pipelines have been damaged or broken in some areas.”
Jeewa said that when they arrived in oThongathi on Tuesday, they provided people with food and water.
“We are still continuing to help people, because we did a headcount and at least 300 people needed help,” Jeewa said.
eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA) chairperson Ish Praladh said community members were “pouring their hearts out to the people who are now homeless”.
The Divine Life Society, Gift of the Givers, local residents, NGOs and other charitable organisations are going around to make sure people have a blanket and no one goes hungry.
IPSS Medical Rescue and Search and Rescue said they had deployed multiple teams to assist in the affected areas between oThongathi and Ballito.
IPSS spokesperson Samantha Mayrick urged motorists to avoid travelling in the affected areas due to the debris on the roads, including damaged power lines and uprooted trees.
Various first responders are assisting the affected families and municipal workers are working to restore electricity and water.
The Mercury