The Free State Department of Social Development has set up a food and clothing bank, which also welcomed other essential items such as food, water, mattresses, blankets, and sanitary towels, among others. The Department’s social workers and community development practitioners have also been on the ground, since the advent of the disaster assisting with the evacuation of the victims to safe areas and visiting their respective shelters to provide them with much-needed psychosocial support.
Again, the Department headed the profiling of affected families, so that both government and its social partners can provide tailored help to them. One of the beneficiaries of the Department’s intervention is Tshediso Masiya, who, together with other distraught families, was moved to a shelter in Bloemfontein at the cost of the mine, Jagersfontein Developments.
Tshediso Masiya’s story is not only of victimhood but heroism. He will be remembered as one of the vigilant watchtowers who raised the alarm to alert his neighbours to run for their lives as soon as he smelled danger.
“I lived in the street facing the mine dam. So, I was the first person to see it coming and I warned my neighbours to leave their houses,” he reported, adding that he had hoped the flood would lose momentum along the way. “In fact, I thought it was just a minor thing that would just stop. But when I realised that it was coming towards the residential area, I realised it was serious.”
Masiya’s house was among the first to be annihilated by the might of the flood.
Masiya worked for the Kopanong Local Municipality as a driver and was booked for early retirement due to his ill-health. His heroic act saved many lives on that fateful morning, a human achievement that makes up for the fact that he lost everything he worked for in the flood.
The loss is too painful for him to bear.
In a voice dipped in sorrow and a memory haunted by the recency of his misfortune, Masiya revealed that his belongings were all swept away by the flood, leaving him with nothing but pyjamas to his name.
“As I am speaking to you, I am only left with the clothes that I am wearing, which I also borrowed because I was still in my pyjamas all along. All clothes, furniture and my two cars were swallowed by the flood,” he said.
Masiya, who is still traumatised by the personal losses he suffered, reported having trouble accepting what happened. Nonetheless, he thanked the provincial government for providing accommodation and counselling for victims, saying it went a long way in mitigating their trauma. “I feel better for the moment after talking to the counsellors. But when I am alone everything comes back,” he stated, reporting trouble sleeping and mild nightmares as some of the psychological effects of the man-made disaster.
Another resident who is at the shelter is Molefi Sephaka, a young chef from Jagersfontein who came to the Bloemfontein shelter with his mother. Sephaka appreciates the assistance from the provincial government and its various departments, such as social development and health. “We are receiving food and shelter, and at least we can sleep safely. There are social workers helping with the trauma. Representatives from the Department of Health have also been coming here to do check-ups and bring medication to the sick,” he said.
Sephaka, who has been at the shelter since Monday, said his biggest prayer is the recovery of his parents. “I just want my parents to be fine. I have seen the impact of this disaster on them, and it hurts me deeply. They can’t sleep at all. It’s the same with other victims as well. You can see them having flashbacks when they talk about what happened. I have seen some men break down, and you know that when a man is crying, the pain cuts really deep.”
Displaced victims will remain sheltered and cared for by the provincial government and its social partners, until their safe return can be guaranteed.
