University of KwaZulu-Natal professor Alistair Clulow said residents should brace themselves as extreme weather conditions are going be part of their lives.
“Because of climate change, extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves, hail, droughts and turbulent winds should be expected. In addition to improving early warning systems, there should be intensified efforts made to assist people who are forced to build houses in flood-prone areas mainly because of the shortage of land,” said Clulow.
The South African Weather Service (Saws) said the rains that bucketed down in the province were the heaviest in six decades. Several areas received three times the recorded rainfall of previous years.
The organisation attributed the flooding to a weather condition known as a cut-off low pressure system, which is consistent with heavy rainfall.
On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Qwabe family, who lost four young children in the floods over the last weekend, as he travelled to affected communities around KwaZulu-Natal.
The bodies of three of the children, aged between three and 11, have been recovered – but one child remains missing.
Their grandmother, Nelisiwe Qwabe, is devastated and broken. She said the president promised to assist with the funeral costs. “President Ramaphosa has promised to fund the funeral of my three grandchildren. I lost four kids, between the ages of three and 11. The other one is still missing. As a result, we have not decided which day to bury my kids.”
Qwabe recalled the night that they were separated from her. She said she was fast asleep with the children by her side when their shack was washed away by the floods.
Phumelele Linda from Ntuzuma said she had lost everything in the floods – but was glad she kept her life. Linda said that at around 11pm on Sunday, she was woken by a huge bang. “My two children were screaming for help. I witnessed my furniture washed away with important documents such as IDs and Sassa grant cards,” she said.
Linda urged the eThekwini municipality to speed up the process of human settlement.
“Durban is known as one of the biggest cities and everyone is seeking job opportunities. Most of us normally erect shacks where there is vacant land,” she said.
As a result of heavy rains in Durban, bones of some of those buried at a cemetery in Ntuzuma D section, at Lindelani informal settlement, have been exposed as they float in water above graves.
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