Strong wind leaves four families in trouble
Tsakane - A strong wind reportedly blew the roofs off at least four houses in Tsakane Extension 11 recently.
According to one of the affected residents, Thembi Congwane, there was a strong wind in the area around 2pm.
“My children were back from school and I was from the shop when we saw clouds and dust. It was so strong that we couldn’t even go into the yard.
“I then saw my roof flying off my home. My doors were damaged and some things fell onto the ground including photos, blinds and curtains,” Congwane says.
Though no one was injured during the disaster, the Congwane house and three others on Shakwane Street were affected.
She says Disaster and Emergency Management arrived with fire fighters to assist them and they donated sails for the families to cover their homes with.
“We are just waiting for a report from government officials as all we were promised is just a sail as a temporary solution. At night we don’t feel safe, so we are trying to fix our roofs urgently for safety reasons and because of the rain.
“This has been a traumatic experience for us and an additional expense as we need to lend cash to fix our homes,” Congwane adds.
The residents attribute the disaster to living close to a mine and a dam.
A 73-year-old gogo, Johannah Chebeletsane whose home was also affected says when she heard the strong wind; she battled to shut her door.
“I tried to call neighbours for help, but they couldn’t hear me and a few minutes later, I saw an open roof.
“When the wind stopped, I went to check where my roof was and we found my zinc sheets on top of another house on the opposite street.
“Though we are grateful for the sails, we still don’t feel safe, so I had to ask neighbours to put a board onto it and had to lend some money to fix this,” says Chebeletsane.
She adds that she also needed to fix her electricity wires which were disturbed when the roof was blown off.
Chebeletsane thanks Pastor Andrews Ambarros from the God is Able Ministry in Geluksdal who assisted her with money to fix some of these problems during this difficult time.
However, she says she is saddened by this situation as some of her electrical appliances were destroyed and her pension money has run out.
