Collapsed wall kills woman, child in storm-hit Zwelitsha
A young Durban man who lost his mother and nephew during Saturday night's storm says he's been traumatised by the loss.
Bonga Zungu's 55-year-old mother and the four-year-old boy were asleep in their house in Zwelitsha when a wall collapsed.
Zungu says he had assumed his mother had sought refuge at a neighbour's house as she usually does when heavy rains hit the area.
The 24-year-old has told Newswatch he rushed home in the morning.
“I was sleeping at a neighbour’s home. In the morning, I overheard two ladies talking about the havoc caused by the floods and there was a mention of my name. I immediately ran home to check if there was any damage done.
“When I approached home, I saw a crowd of people, and I realised it was not only the house that collapsed, but someone could be dead. When I entered the house, I saw my mother and the child next to her on the bed facing up; they must have died at the same time.
eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says the city's disaster management teams are on the ground quantifying the damage.
He's been out to several areas today to see the destruction for himself.
"We know that the most affected part is the northern part. Yes, there are sinkholes that have developed in areas in the West. If you talk about the M13, the main road that links the economic activities of the city and commutes with social amenities, those roads have been severely affected as well.
ALSO READ: Flood victims blame poor infrastructure for structural collapses
"We also talk about Umlazi and Folweni.”
Umhlanga resident Aveer Inderjith, who lives on Newlands Drive next to the M4 freeway, says he relies on public transport after the stormwater line underneath the road collapsed, formed sinkholes, and water deluged the road.
"The road caved in by the area of the complex. Nothing happened that night; a few cars drove into the sinkhole, and until now, we can’t go out of the complex. Until now, everybody Ubers out of the complex."
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