“I have nothing left”: clutching a few clothes, all that he was able to save from the deadly floods that devastated the Durban region on the east coast of South Africa, Sinethemba Duka queues with dozens of others to get shelter.
More than 300 people were killed in the bad weather, according to a latest report Wednesday evening. “One of the worst storms in the country’s history”, recognized the authorities.
The heaviest rainfall recorded in more than 60 years in the region, which started last weekend, left behind a desolate landscape: bridges, roads and thousands of houses were destroyed in the agglomeration of more than 3 .5 million inhabitants.
The 31-year-old street vendor recounts the panic at finding himself knee-deep in water when he returned home on Monday evening. In the township of Umlazi where he lives, on the outskirts of Durban, most of the houses are made of sheets of corrugated iron or simple planks of wood, not enough to hold out for long in the face of a deluge.
More than 300mm of water poured in 24 hours in some areas, with meteorologists comparing the level of rain to that “normally associated with cyclones”.
The mud started to rise, says Mr. Duka. “Then water poured onto my roof. He fell and the walls crumbled, ”he continues in shock.
A chair, a box
Traveling to the region on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised state aid. But it was with volunteers that Sinethemba Duka found salvation, followed by her neighbors, including mothers carrying babies at arm’s length and the elderly.
“We are helping them simply because we care about them,” Mabheki Sokhela, 51, who is helping to find temporary shelters, told AFP.
He himself lives in a “hostel”, these former homes for black workers during the apartheid era, often overcrowded. “There is not enough space but we try to accommodate everyone,” he said.
In a room without electricity, another volunteer writes down the names under the light of a mobile phone. Many will eventually find a place for the night on a pair of chairs or a piece of cardboard.
The volunteers also went in search of food and clothing. But with the destruction and a damaged telephone network, access to basic necessities is not easy, they explain.
So those who have lost everything in the space of an instant are counting on the arrival of help. Rescue operations have been going on for several days. The army has been mobilized.
According to meteorologists, the worst of the storm has passed. But they warned of continued rainfall and the risk of localized flooding in the coming days.
More rain? Unimaginable for Mabheki Sokhela, who looks askance at the still threatening sky. “I don’t know what will happen if there are new rains”, he admits, “it will undoubtedly bring more people like them”.