LIMPOPO – More than 100 families from Nwaxinyamane, Chavane, Mashamba, Bokisi, Mbokota and surrounding villages were left roofless after a heavy storm ripped through the area last Tuesday.
The storm left a trail of destruction in its wake, with roads being flooded, electric poles knocked down and trees uprooted.
One person from Nwaxinyamane was reportedly injured and treated at the Bungeni Health Centre. Onica Mahlaule of Ha-Mashamba lost her three-roomed house and everything inside was damaged.
“When the storm started, I had just arrived home. People started fleeing as their houses collapsed. I thought of hiding inside the wardrobe. The wind blew the roof off and I was left inside the roofless ruins.”
Fortunately, she did not sustain any major injuries.
According to Vincent Mthombeni of Nwaxinyamane, a fierce wind swept through the village, leaving everyone running for cover. “I thought it was a tornado, or that lightning had struck my house. I could not see properly as it was raining and hailing. All my furniture was damaged.”
The spokesperson for the Vhembe District Municipality, Matodzi Ralushai expressed concern over the devastation. “People have nothing, absolutely nothing left,” he said.
He appealed to those whose houses were damaged by the storm to contact their headman or ward councillor to register their damage and urged community members to help one another.
“Our condolences go to all the affected families. We heard about the incident and immediately dispatched our disaster teams to assess the damage. We are making the necessary interventions,” he said.
