Heavy rains cause floods in Deelpan amid residents rebuilding homes

Heavy rains have again caused flooding in Deelpan in the North West and various roads and properties have been flooded. This comes as hundreds of residents are rebuilding their homes after floods destroyed them earlier this year.

Some residents say roads in their area are unusable.

“Our houses are filling with water again, even our roads. There is no way that you can cross the roads when you drive a car, even when you walk, you can’t cross. There’s lots of water here,” says one resident.

Another adds: “The situation in Deelpan is very bad. Our yards and internal roads are flooded. We’re just wondering what’s going to happen if it rains the whole weekend. Will people go back to the centres?”

Meanwhile, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesperson Tsholofelo Mathibedi says they are monitoring many areas that the recent rains have affected, including Deelpan.

“The Department of Public Works has provided TLB (translation lookaside buffer) to be used for water channelling. The Disaster management team continues to do the assessment and departments can be contacted for possible interventions. The Ngaka Modiri Molema and Disaster Management Centre will continue conducting assessments and observing conditions in the affected area throughout this week as more rain is expected,” says Mathibedi.

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KZN residents affected

Meanwhile, residents of Peace Valley in Pietermaritzburg in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands are calling on government to find them an alternative piece of land where they can build their homes.

Hundreds of houses have been flooded after the Msunduzi River burst its banks due to heavy rains.

Resident Zanele Mkhize says they have been experiencing similar floods since 2018.

“We have lost all our belongings. The children’s uniform, our furniture is completely destroyed. As the community, all we are asking for is a suitable piece of land. It doesn’t even have to be houses, if it can just be land at least. We want a safer place than this. Every time when it rains like this we face a similar situation and we do not have jobs,” says Mkhize.

Siziwe Ngubane who is from the Maqinase area in Pietermaritzburg says the floods have destroyed all the material she recently bought for her dress-making business.

“I lost quite a lot of uniforms because I was sewing for creches and another school that I was about to sew for, their uniforms are ruined.  I had already bought material and now it’s all ruined even my industrial sewing machines were damaged by the water. Maybe everything I lost could be more than R5000, I don’t know I haven’t calculated yet because I also hire out traditional wear and it’s all ruined. I even lost my chickens. I had 30, now I’m left with only seven and my chicken feed is ruined as well,” says Ngubane.

KZN flood victims forced to leave their homes after a river burst its banks:

Additional reporting: Fanele Mhlongo