WATCH VIDEOS: Dark day for Witfield residents as homes flood
Residents from the Anchor Terrace complex in Witfield experienced grief after their belongings were damaged by the flash floods that hit Boksburg on Wednesday, November 10.
About 20 units in the complex were affected by severe damage to their furniture, electrical equipment, clothes, carpets and bedrooms.
The damage was caused after the water broke through the perimeter wall.
Michelle van Niekerk, who lives in unit nine, said when the rain started around 4.30pm she went to fetch her daughters from crèche while it was still drizzling.
Little did she know that when she returned there would be water in all the rooms.
“Everything happened in just seconds. We couldn’t even save our belongings. When I went and checked outside I realised that the wall fence of my house had collapsed, with bricks being carried away by water,” Van Niekerk said.
The Van Niekerk family said they were helped by four people from the complex as the tried to push the water out.
Riaan van Niekerk said due to the collapsed fence they had to call in a security guard to guard the place until morning.
“We had to beef up security to protect our belongings. Our house is next to the road so we feared that thieves would gain access easily to the complex and steal our belongings. We did not sleep at the house on Wednesday because everything was wet,” he said.
When the Advertiser visited the complex on Thursday, November 11, the people from the affected units were trying to repair what had been damaged and salvage some of the goods.
Another affected resident, Joey de Beer, said the flood damaged her expensive carpet.
“The water was everywhere; it was getting in under the door and through the windows even though they were closed. My couches are wet. We are sharing one couch with my daughter who is studying for her exams. My house is a mess. My furniture is damaged,” De Beer said.
The residents blame the damage on a blocked drainage system that could not deal with the flash flood caused by a nearby overflowing dam.
The fuming residents said if proper measures were in place to deal with excessive water in times of storms then none of them would have suffered heartache.
RGC Brokers donated a wire fence to secure the complex because it might take some time for the wall to be rebuilt.
