The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality was caught off guard on Monday when floods hit parts of the city for the second time in four months.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane admitted that the city only reacts to disasters instead of preparing for them.
“We expected the summer rains because floods are happening more often in our province,” he said. “But we like to delay. The last disaster was declared nationally, and we had to wait for money from the national government. We’re still waiting for that money to fix the damage from four months ago.
“We’re waiting for the National Treasury to release the funds, and the minister said the money is coming. But now we’re back where we started.”
The municipality had promised the residents of Lapland, who were affected by the June floods, that they would be moved to new homes by 14 October. But this didn’t happen, and they’ve been moved to temporary shelters again.
Mabuyane admitted there were delays.
“We may have taken too long with procurement. We’re also trying to find a permanent solution because these disasters will keep hitting us.”
He said one of the big reasons for flooding is poor drainage maintenance.
“We say we’re developing areas with paved streets, but we don’t build proper infrastructure like drainage systems, water pipes, and sewers.”
Some work has been done to clean the drainage systems since the last floods, but Mabuyane said this should be ongoing, not just done once in a while.
In Kariega, over 500 people were evacuated after heavy rains flooded their homes.
Nelson Mandela Bay municipality spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said the affected residents have been moved to community halls, schools and churches, including Sunshine School, Missionvale Care Centre, and UCC Church.
Other shelters have been set up for people from Lapland, Veeplaas, and Soweto, where they are given mattresses, blankets, and soup.
Some residents in Missionvale, Gqeberha, refused to leave their homes because they feared robberies.
“Crime is high here. If we leave, we’ll come back to empty houses. We’ll take the risk and stay in our flooded homes,” said one resident.
A 76-year-old man, Nkululeko Gqomo, died in KwaZakhele after he was electrocuted while trying to unplug an appliance.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said: “His lounge was flooded from the rain. He saw electric wires in the water and was electrocuted when he tried to unplug them.”
In another close call, a police officer almost drowned on Tuesday after trying to drive over a flooded bridge in Kleinskool. His car was swept away, but he escaped by grabbing a pole and was later rescued.
Heavy rains also caused problems for matric students in Kariega; 319 learners from five schools couldn’t write their Computer Applications Technology exam on Tuesday due to power outages.
Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said they will be able to write the exam on 28 November.
Pictured above: Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane doing a walkabout at the Veeplaas informal settlement in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
Source: Supplied
