'We are in serious trouble' — killer floods leave Eastern Cape communities picking up the pieces

OR Tambo District municipality mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana pointing to the damage caused by the floods at Tyelinzima High School in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

By Estelle Ellis and Hoseya Jubase

20 Feb 2023

Ten people have been confirmed dead and several are missing after floods — caused by torrential rain — swept through several towns in the Eastern Cape, destroying billions of rands worth of infrastructure and roads.

Ten people have died, and four are still missing in the floods that have ravaged the Eastern Cape for the past two weeks.

The MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams, and the MEC for Roads and Transport, Xolile Nqatha, have begged parents in rural areas not to send children to school if they have to cross rivers to get there.

“The education department has indicated that they will organise catch-up classes,” Nqatha said.

Communities were left devastated after 1,661 people were displaced. The search for the missing children swept away by floods in Coffee Bay over the weekend continued on Monday. Rescue teams found the bodies of a mother and her daughter. Nontando Sineke (29) was located on the edge of the Coffee Bay beach and her daughter was found in the Nenge River.

The floods destroyed roads, bridges, houses and the Tyelinzima High School in Coffee Bay.

OR Tambo District Municipality Mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana with Nonikile Gobezemfe in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, on 20 February 2023. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

A woman carries her daughter after the damage caused by the floods next to the bridge in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

‘A devastating situation’

On Monday, the OR Tambo Municipality executive mayor, Mesuli Ngqondwana, visited Coffee Bay to assess the damage. A Coffee Bay resident, Mfila Mloku, a family member of the Sinekes, said: “This is a devastating situation. I lost three of my family members due to this flooding.

“At this moment, we are still searching for the missing body of another child. This flood has troubled us a lot. It damaged everything. The bridge you are seeing now was completely destroyed by the floods. It’s unbelievable what happened here.

“Look at how these learners are crossing this collapsed bridge, it’s not safe at all … We are in serious trouble in Coffee Bay.”

Nonikile Gobezemfe, whose three houses were destroyed by the floods, said residents were still in disbelief about what happened.

“The floods destroyed all our houses. Three are completely gone. The rest will soon collapse,” she said. “We lost the girl who was just visiting the family to meet her boyfriend but unfortunately she was swept away by the floods while trying to escape. We haven’t found her body.”

A Grade 10 learner at Tyelinzima High School, Siphokuhle Gabulele (18), said the last time she went to school was Wednesday last week as they have not been able to cross the bridge near her school.

“On Saturday, we heard the school was completely destroyed. We are all still shocked. Today we were told to continue going to school as the principal is going to make a plan so that we can continue studying.”

She said they had a Mathematics test on 7 March but her books were destroyed in the flood.

The Coffee Bay flood victims have been identified as Nontando Sineke (29), Linomtha Sineke (6), Lithalande Sineke (3), Andiswa Mazwe and a two-year-old baby and a seven-month-old baby from the Khedamile family.

Eastern Cape MEC Williams said disaster assessment teams were struggling to get to flooded areas because of the state of the roads and as a result, the province’s submission to the National Disaster Management Centre had been delayed.

Tyelinzima High School learners try to cross the completely destroyed Nange Bridge in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, on 20 February 2023. (Photo:Hoseya Jubase)

Community members and parents try to assist Tyelinzima High School learners to cross the completely destroyed Nange Bridge in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, on 20 February 2023. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

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Damage of R4.5bn

Williams said a preliminary assessment showed that the flood damage to bridges and roads amounted to R4.5-billion, which does not include damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.

But Williams said the province still has “the albatross around our necks” of a promised R1.9-billion in disaster funding for the 2021/2022 floods that was never paid.

The Eastern Cape MEC for human settlements, Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi, said they would need R420-million to replace destroyed houses and build temporary structures.

Transport MEC Nqatha said they were reprioritising the budget to fix flood-damaged roads. “This affects planned projects,” he said.

Williams has called for calm in Komani, where emotions ran high even before the floods. He said no decision had been taken yet on a request by the community to dissolve the Enoch Mgijima municipal council.

Communities have requested the provincial government to do this based on a dire lack of services provided and the failure of intervention programmes.

The Border-Kei Chamber of Business and the Civic Ratepayers’ Association of Enoch Mgijima obtained an interdict last week to stop protests in the town until 30 March.

In Elliot, communities were starting to pick up the pieces after last week’s floods. A community meeting was held on Thursday after the municipality was blamed for the flood as they had not maintained the stormwater drains despite calls from residents for more than 20 years.

Floods in Coffee Bay destroyed spaza shops situated near the Nange Bridge in Eastern Cape on 20 February 2023. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

OR Tambo District Municipality Mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana points to the damage caused by the floods at Tyelinzima High School in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

‘The house collapsed immediately’

The Ndunge family was among those affected after their three-room flat was destroyed by floods.

Mpumelelo Wiseman Ndunge (52) said he did not know where to start rebuilding his house as he lost everything including the furniture. Ndunge, who is staying with his wife Ntombovuyo Ngxito (39) and five children, said he was also a victim of floods in 2022 and had reported this to Sakhisizwe local municipality officials.

“When the house was starting to collapse last week, we were all inside the house. When we heard the sound it made, we ran outside. It collapsed immediately. That is how we escaped,” he said.

“The municipality officials promised to intervene, but I no longer trust them … In September 2022, floods destroyed one of the rooms, and then last week, floods destroyed all the remaining rooms. I have nothing left,” Ndunge said.

Williams said that, especially in Komani, he did not believe a lack of maintenance of the stormwater drains had caused the flooding. “Even if maintained, the stormwater drains could not swallow all that water,” he said. “This rain has caused huge floods that the towns could not manage.”

Nombulelo Patricia Dolophini (46) from Bankini village near Lady Frere said she still cannot believe her house was swept away by floods. “I have only two rooms left. The other two were destroyed.”

Dolophini lives with her children, aged 18, 16 and 8. Two are disabled.

“Luckily, when the wall started to collapse, we were in another room with the disabled children … The floods took everything, including the stove.”

Dolophini pleaded with the government to assist them with a temporary structure.

“The remaining two rooms’ roof leaks water when it’s raining. It’s not safe for these disabled children,” she said. DM/MC

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‘A devastating situation’

Damage of R4.5bn

‘The house collapsed immediately’