Communities across the Western Cape embarked on mopping up operations today, following a storm that swept across the province this past weekend.
Many people in low-lying areas were affected due to flooding and strong winds.
70-year-old pensioner Thandeka Thunyiswa says it’s the same story every year. She wakes up in water, goes to bed in water and even has to struggle to get to ablution facilities that are full of water. Thunyiswa has lived in the area since 1994 and says the situation is not good for her health as she has high blood pressure and arthritis.
“Sometimes I run to stay with my relative. Sometimes I am sleeping here at my neighbours because I can’t do otherwise because I’m not able to walk far.”
Her neighbour Nosipho Mncedane faced a similar situation. This time, the storm destroyed all her electrical appliances.
“I’m sick from putting my hands in water because I have diabetes. I’m staying here from 1992,” explains Mncedane.
Community leaders are concerned.
“The water inside the houses, old people are staying in water but we are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We are going to get more infections because it’s cold, that’s my worry,” says Gugulethu Community Activist Nombeko Leputhing.
In the video below, winter storm shuts several schools in Western Cape:
At Kanana in Gugulethu, on the Cape Flats, the Gift of the Givers brought relief to people living in dire conditions, including the elderly. The NGO delivered necessities such as masks, soap, mattresses and food. The organisation says it is inundated with calls for help after the storm, which is exacerbating the already dire crises of escalating poverty since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gift of the Givers Western Cape Project Manager Ali Sablay says: “We find many of these people who had jobs before are now left at home. They are in the same situation as their neighbours. So we can see poverty is increasing and the situation is getting worse out in the townships in terms of hunger. We find young children going to bed hungry at night and there are many other situations and this is one of the thousands of cases we are dealing with in the Western Cape and the whole country.”
City of Cape Town Disaster Management completed assessments in some townships. Officials are clearing debris, such as fallen trees, and deploying assistance where needed.
