After the heavy rains of the past few weeks, the community of 7de Laan near Macassar is literally swimming in water after the area was flooded.
Several residents were forced to evacuate in haste while others were left stranded inside their homes.
Prelene Cedras, whose house was severely damaged, said the water level rose to as much as a metre high in a matter of seconds last Wednesday.
“Die water is skelm, we placed our stuff high but that didn’t help,” she explained.
When the Daily Voice arrived at Prelene’s house on Tuesday, the entire structure was still onner water and most of her possessions were damaged.
She said that the proud, close-knit community is not looking for handouts but desperately need essentials to help get them through the coming days.
“Please bring food that we can make for the residents, bring clothes and shoes and blankets for the children and nappies for the babies,” Prelene added.
“Since Wednesday, Martin Jansen has been supplying food, and on Monday was the last of the food. I’m stressed because what are we going to do now? I’m not financially strong enough to help the residents.”
Prelene can be reached at 064 0300 167.
Macassar ward councillor Peter Helfrich said that the City of Cape Town has been constructing trenches to help direct the water away from houses.
“We have also been delivering material to raise the ground level where we can,” he told the Daily Voice.
But, Nazeem Anthony wysed that the City should do more because the water is mixed with sewage from the nearby sewage plant.
“More than half of this water is coming from the sewer plant and as you can see, it is here in our homes,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Gift of the Givers has praised South Africans for coming out and showing up during relief efforts for those affected by the floods.
The humanitarian aid organisation has received a klomp support from the public and private sector, as well as provincial government and local municipalities, while helicopter crews, divers, ambulance personnel, farmers, as well as members of the media assisted where roads were inaccessible.
Trees had fallen, rivers raged, and heavy and continuous rains caused the collapse of cellphone towers, roads and bridges.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay said: “Helicopters risked winds to fly items into Wupperthal, trucks were escorted through the closed Huguenot Tunnel into Rawsonville, to the applause of those trapped, anxious and desperate communities waiting for up to seven days for the first delivery of essential supplies.
“We failed them not. The reaction even in not-so trapped communities was heartwarming, soul-satisfying and spiritually uplifting with deliveries into Strand, Faure, Mbekweni, Grabouw, Caledon, KTC, Nyanga, Bonteheuwel, Khayelitsha, Langa, Bishop Lavis, Mitchells Plain, Atlantis and Villiersdorp.
“As South Africans, collectively, we made it happen for people who lost everything, were hungry, homeless, cold, wet and thirsty.”
However, such an operation comes at a huge cost, Sablay said.
“Gift of the Givers has already expended R10 million in the intervention in logistical costs, transport, provision of blankets, mattresses, hygiene packs, bottled water, diapers, sanitary pads and daily hot meals to thousands of affected people along the N1, N2 and N7,” he explained.
“Many more of these items plus new clothing, stationery, uniforms, food parcels and building material will be required, the envisaged cost to surpass R20 million.
“We thank those corporates and individuals helping us fill that gap in cash and kind, being yet another partner in the success story of South Africans helping fellow South Africans.”
Details for contributions into Gift of the Givers: Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg, Account number 052137228, Branch Code 057525, ref: SA disaster.
A request has been made to send a deposit slip to [email protected] to receive your tax deductible Section 18A certificate.