People unable to go to work or school as floods cause havoc in Limpopo

Since floods have rocked Limpopo in recent weeks, roads have turned into dongas while schools and clinics look more like swimming pools.

Residents had to stay away from their places of work and school on Monday, following the torrential rains that fell in different parts of the province since Wednesday last week.

Many are still gripped by fear, worried that their houses could be swept away after the South African Weather Service warned more rain is expected this week.

The floods have also ripped electricity poles out of the ground, leaving many households without power for days.

Those living next to rivers have started to move their valuable belongings to safer areas.

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Rimbo Maramane Maake, a school principal at Relela Primary in the Bolobedu area near Tzaneen, said almost three quarters of his pupils and teachers could not report to school on Monday.

“We have encouraged our parents not to bring their children to school because crossing some of these roads and rivers may be fatal,” he said.

“Rain is good because it brings water and you know what they say, water is life, but not this type of rain.”

“This one damaged houses and government infrastructure. It also destroyed our houses while also preventing us from going to work in town.” 

A teacher at Boke High in Bokhuta Village, near Thapane, said teachers have been unable to get to schools since the beginning of February. He said most of the schools in Limpopo were in poor communities.

“The majority of these schools are found in high-lying areas. They are surrounded by rivers and valleys. When it rains, these rivers and valleys gets full… This makes it difficult to cross them,” he said.

Lathane Kgatlala, a community activist in Bolobedu near Khethakone, woke up in the early hours of the morning to help workers and children cross the road near Maleoka Sports Ground in Relela. This is a busy road that leads to schools, the town and government buildings.

The floods have washed parts of the road away.

“We can’t wait for government to come and fix this road. By the time a grader comes, our parents shall have lost their jobs, kids their lessons at school or sometimes those unlucky, drowned in this valley. I woke up at 4am just to help those who want to go to school and those going to work in town,” said Kgatlala.

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An angry parent, who was stuck on the side of the road with a bakkie full of kids, said she had no option but to take the children back home.

“It is frustrating. We have always pleaded with the local councillor to regravel this road. But no, he flatly denied, saying graders only regravel the roads when there are funerals. This is not on. One day we will take the law into our own hands and make this community ungovernable,” she said.

At the time of going to print, both the Limpopo co-operative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs and public works departments said they were aware of the damage caused by floods and were quantifying the extend of it.

“We have dispatched a team of experts to areas hard hit by floods. As the department, we are ready for any eventuality. We, however, encourage our parents not to leave their children unattended during these times of floods. We also caution children not to play next to rivers as this may be dangerous for them.”