South Africans assess damage after flash floods

DW (English)

Residents of South Africa's rural Eastern Cape province are taking stock after flash floods ripped through their homes and communities. As many as 78 peple died and some survivors in Decoligny village say they've lost almost everything.

Transcript

00:00I jumped out, I see water here.

00:02I tried to open this door, the water was pulling in.

00:06And then you came out this way?

00:08Yes, I came out this way with my laptop on my head.

00:12The rain was like, yeah, the water was here.

00:17If it wasn't for a neighbor who threw rocks onto the roof to wake her up,

00:22Toza Mangejane would not have made it out of her house.

00:26She's lived in De Colini village for four years

00:29and says while it has rained heavily in the past,

00:32nothing could have prepared her for the recent deluge.

00:36A few days later, she's still assessing the damage.

00:41My couches are damaged because they are wet.

00:45They are full of water.

00:47My mattresses are like, they are wet.

00:50Everything, everything, my TV and my decoder

00:54is, even my wife is gone.

01:00I left nothing, nothing.

01:03Mangejane is just one of thousands of people

01:05affected by flash flooding

01:07which hit several Eastern Cape towns on Monday and Tuesday.

01:11The province is mostly rural

01:13and populated by small towns with poor infrastructure.

01:17At least 78 people were killed in the flooding

01:21which saw houses and bridges washed away.

01:25President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area

01:28pledging government support to the affected communities.

01:33We are very, very disturbed that so many people

01:36have passed away

01:37but it could have been much worse.

01:39Many of the flooded areas border riverbanks

01:43and in some cases, houses are built on the floodplain.

01:47Residents of De Colini Village say they moved here

01:50because it's close to where the economic opportunities are

01:54in the Mtata city centre.

01:55They say they'd be reluctant to move

01:58because moving would mean having to go much further away.

02:02But government officials say

02:04that might be the only way to keep them safe

02:07considering how close this area is to the riverbank

02:10and how weather patterns have changed

02:12over the past few years.

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