HEAVY rain is making things worse for the family of Andile Mkhatshwa, who drowned on Sunday, 5 February.
The 18-year-old matric pupil from Nkomazi, Mpumalanga sneaked out from his boarding residence with a friend on Sunday to go to the local mall but drowned in the raging Mlumati River.
Mkhatshwa’s friend managed to swim to safety and called for help.
Mkhatshwa’s aunt, Lindiwe Shongwe (51), told Daily Sun they’re losing hope of finding his body as the floods are making it difficult for the police to continue searching.
“We were hoping that we could bury him and find closure. The family might live with this permanent pain forever if the rain continues like this,” she said.
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Shongwe said the police did not spend enough time searching.
“If they had kept searching, it could have made a difference,” she said.
“But now we understand that the weather is bad, and we must accept the effort they are making.”
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In another incident, a 60-year-old man was swept away on Thursday, 2 February. The man had allegedly requested his friend accompany him to the river where he set a fish trap.
He disappeared into the river and was not seen again.
The heavy downpour has left the Nkomazi area with flooded homes and damaged roads. Nkomazi municipal spokesman Cyril Ripinga said they were remaining on high alert.
“More than 11 bridges are under water. We are also trying to evacuate those staying in low-lying areas,” he said.
He said the municipality will commence with a damage assessment as soon as the storms have passed.
Meanwhile, the Kruger National Park has closed Crocodile Bridge which is under water.
SANParks spokesman Isaac Phaahla said they were closely monitoring the Malelane gate in the Nkomazi area.
“The park is operating normally but we have closed gravel routes as a precaution. So far, no infrastructure has been damaged and there are no casualties,” he said.
Police spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the search for the two men has been halted because of the bad weather. “We will resume when it is safe to do so,” he said.
