Residents left with only what they're wearing!

MANY families are trying to pick up the pieces as heavy rain continues to wreak havoc in many villages of Mtubatuba, northern KZN. 

Four people have died, while dozens of others have been left homeless. This after the rain and wind tore off their roofs and walls, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs. 

A school in the area which was ravaged by the heavy rain.

Roads have also been affected by the bad weather.

Officials assessing the damages in Mtubatuba.

They spent half of their Saturday night, 21 October, running for cover in the houses that were spared.

One villager, Mbuso Mkhwanazi (38), said they didn’t think that rain which didn't seem so heavy when it started would leave them with so much damage.

“When we saw that the roof was starting to blow off, we rushed outside because we had fear that the house might fall on us. Luckily the walls didn’t fall,” he said.

Another villager, Smangele Buthelezi (27), said they lost everything. She said all they were left with was what they were wearing. He said even their house collapsed, they were grateful that no one was injured.

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“The walls collapsed minutes after we rushed outside as we heard the house shaking,” she said.

The Mtubatuba Municipality has appealed to the residents to move to safer places as the rain continues to pour in the area.

It said their emergency teams were on standby to assist all the affected families, adding that councillors would be on the ground to assess the damages.

Almost all the villages in the area are left in the dark as the electricity poles were also damaged. It has also become difficult for motorists to drive on the gravel roads as they are muddy.

Meanwhile, the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi said the initial report from Mtubatuba revealed that at least four individuals had lost their lives due to a thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds.

“The storm tore roofs off houses and caused damage to infrastructure, including power cables, roads, bridges and vehicles. Up to now, more than 70 houses in Somkhele and KwaMyeki areas have been identified as destroyed. Some houses suffered complete damage, rendering families homeless,” she said.