Flood victim’s body recovered in Komani

The body of a woman, who was swept away by floodwaters in Komani in the Eastern Cape in the early hours of Saturday, has been recovered by a search and rescue team.

The family of the woman, which was alerted when the search resumed earlier this morning, rushed to the scene and identified her near the Rhawutini informal settlement.

More flooding in Komani overnight:

The heavy rains, which led to flooding, once more affected various areas throughout the district. Chris Hani District Municipality spokesperson, Bulelwa Ganyaza says informal settlements have been severely affected.

“In Komani, informal settlements, roads, low-lying areas and bridges have been severely affected – areas such as Thulandivile, Silvertown Informal settlement and Queen Industria. About 145 people have been moved from their homes to Gali Thembani facility. We do encourage residents to call our customer call centre, 0800 100 100 for any emergency assistance. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and their loved ones,” says Ganyaza.

Some of the residents are reluctant to leave their homes. One of the affected residents is 65 five-year-old Johnson Silevu.

“I fear for my life, but I have got goods here. I have a lot of stuff in my yard and my car is also there. Last night was full up water straight to my window,” says Silevu.