Man is feared to have drowned after torrential rain in KaNyamazane

According to the Ward 19 councillor, Dannison Mkhatshwa, the heavy downpour hit the area last night and continued throughout the morning.

A resident, who had been asleep in his bedroom, reportedly drowned after a section of his house, that was built next to a stream, was swept away by the strong current.

“I received a call at about 02:15 notifying me that many of the houses built along the stream had their foundations dislodged.

“A resident, identified only as Sifiso, was swept away by the current and is believed to have drowned,” said Mkhatshwa.

He added that emergency rescue personnel had been deployed to recover the body. The ward councillor ascribed the tragedy to residents building too close to the 100-year floodline.
“Many of the affected houses were built barely five metres away from the stream.

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“At this stage, the body has not yet been found. We are uncertain how many houses have been affected, ” he said.

A resident, who spoke to Lowvelder on condition of anonymity, said this is the second weather-related tragedy to occur in Gezane.

“In 2018 the area was struck by a severe hailstorm that blew the roofs off a number of homes. “Work started on repairing them, but the project seems to have come to a standstill.
“The affected residents have suffered property damage as a result of their exposed houses,” the source said.