Over 100 Postmasburg households in Northern Cape affected by heavy rainfall

Over 100 households in Postmasburg in the Northern Cape have been affected by heavy rainfall which hit the area last weekend.

The community is still reeling from the damage left by the storm.

Houses, school buildings and roads in the area were left damaged, as seen in a post by a user on Twitter:

Postmasburg was hit by a storm yesterday.

Took out roof and trees, luckily no one sustained any serious injuries. @PhemeloMelo @JoelGuy_ @atuwani pic.twitter.com/OW51uMc9z1

— Bhejula (@Wanda_MW) April 24, 2022

A 42-year-old single mother, Lorrain Plaatjies, and her two children are some of the residents who have been left homeless. Plaatjies say she will not be able to fix her damaged house.

“It’s a disaster…and for now this house is a hazard on its own, we can’t live here. The mayor was here with the councillors, and the MEC was also here yesterday. But for now, we would like to know what is the way forward because they were here and still we didn’t get any answers from them.”

Meanwhile, Tsantsabane Municipality Mayor Helena English says they have made temporary shelters available for the residents left homeless after the storm.

“We are on par. We will assist our community. This is not a matter that we are not helping them, we are really there for our community. It’s our responsibility as this municipality.”

State of Disaster declared amid floods 

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster citing the severity of the flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

In his address to the nation, Ramaphosa said: “This is to ensure an effective response across all spheres of government to the extreme weather events that have occurred in several parts of the country. The primary responsibility to coordinate and manage the disaster is assigned to the national sphere of government, working closely together with provincial governments and municipalities. It enables the mobilisation of more resources, capabilities and technical expertise in providing relief, recovery and rehabilitation to affected communities.”

In the video below, a report on the declaration: