Standerton: Water is everywhere
Those with collective memories of floods in Standerton waited with bated breath on February 17 to see whether the town would experience something close to the 1975 floods.
Those with collective memories of floods in Standerton waited with bated breath on February 17 to see whether the town would experience something close to the 1975 floods.
A video widely shared and watched last Friday depicted the water levels at 06:00.
Many an individual wasted no time in driving to spots where the rising level of the Vaal River could be captured on cellphones.
Lekwa Municipality cordoned off several areas such as near the Standerton River Park, the taxi rank and opposite the mosque on Handel Street.
A fire and rescue truck turned into Handel Street where a young man from the houses eastwards was wading, shoes in hand, through the water.
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According to him, the water had reached their palisade fencing.
Speculation was rife about the Meyerville Bridge and possible closure. The Kruger Bridge was partly submerged in water, as well as some of the trees at the river park.
Residents with weekend plans carefully watched text messages on WhatsApp groups to see if any routes from town would be closed.
The power went off abruptly early morning and the electricity was only restored after several mishaps before 13:00.
Lekwa decided to isolate certain areas potentially threatened by the flood, taking damage to electrical infrastructure into consideration.
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A team went to inspect the network.
According to information, the levels at Grootdraai Dam stood at 112.26%. Sluices at the dam were opened.
The water supply was affected and a municipal notice outlined the challenges at the Standerton water treatment plant.
The operator was unable to switch on the raw pumping units, but the municipality said alternative ways to switch them on would be looked at.
Behind the scenes, a successful rescue mission took place. Delta 1 Rescue Diving, Mpumalanga Inland Water Wing and ER24 were dispatched to a farm where a man, a woman and two children were trapped.
A police helicopter was on standby should the need arise. Principals at schools decided to send their learners home quite early.
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Saturday morning saw the routes from town open and the Meyerville Bridge was closed.
Delani Louis Thabethe, the executive mayor, issued a statement the same day, saying the compassion and care in society had been tested and proven to be resolute.
Thabethe said six households at the river park were affected and their houses flooded. The families were evacuated and placed at municipal halls, with food parcels and blankets provided.
Freedom Front Plus councillor Wilma Venter lent a helping hand in Ward 10 to assist with the safety of both animals and babies.
Emergency services were on the ground to provide assistance where needed.
The Meyerville Bridge was partially closed and only SUVs and trucks were allowed to make use of the road, with caution.
Transnet deployed a trolley with the capacity to carry eight passengers only in cases of emergencies across the bridge.
Law enforcers were deployed to monitor and direct traffic. Homeless people at the taxi rank were rescued and supported food-wise and clothes-wise.
The mayor’s message concluded by saying it is a major setback as far as infrastructure is concerned, but he was optimistic as regards the future.
Rooikoppen Road towards Shukuma Primary School and other areas in the township were closed due to flooding.
The golf course at Standerton Country Club was partly under water and the course in Morgenzon closed. Water levels were somewhat down on Sunday and motorists returned safe and sound to their destinations.
Lekwa issued a notice on February 20 about the faulty B-sub 20MVA transformer. The municipality switched it off due to safety reasons.
Eskom’s lead-shedding on Monday at Stage 4 had to be taken into account.
The Standerton Advertiser will publish more photos of the flooding on their website, albeit belated, for residents to have a bird’s eye view.
No fatalities were reported.
