Central SA
#FSflooding: Many families displaced at Qwaqwa - PHOTOS─── 15:30 Thu, 28 Jan 2021
About 15 houses have been flooded in Qwaqwa in the Eastern Free State in the early hours of Thursday, after heavy rain since the beginning of the week.
Residents have lost personal belongings such as furniture, identity documents, and more. The affected residents are mostly those who are staying nearby the rivers.
According to the executive mayor of the Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, Masetjhaba Mosia-Lakaje, this is one of the toughest moments where the municipality has to intervene between the affected residents and people who authorised the residents to stay where there's no infrastructure.
She, however, said the municipality will not sit back while the lives of people are in danger. She says this is not the time of pointing fingers at each other.
Furthermore, Mosia-Lakaje indicated that the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) has already been established to guarantee that those affected residents are taken to safe places such as churches, schools, and community halls.
She further pointed out that due to the heavy rain, the Fika Patso Dam is about to reach its maximum water capacity. She said they will have to let water flow out of the dam, which may further affect residents staying nearby the river.
She urged residents to always be observant during times. The affected areas are currently the Masimong Village, Slovo Park, Mandela Park, and Mphatlalatsane near Clubview.
However, the district's mayor of Thabo Mofutsanyana, Malefu Vilakazi, urged the residents to help those affected by supplying them with tin stuff food, and clothes.
OFM News/Tumelo Khotha