A thunderstorm caused havoc for ward 44 Breidbach residents last Thursday, flooding their homes and damaging their belongings.

Picture: DESMOND COETZEE
Devastated Mary-Ann Malgas, who lives in a back room shack in Breidbach with her husband, son and two granddaughters, said her belongings had been damaged.
“The floods have caused damage to my cupboards, bedding, clothes and even to the school books of my son and granddaughters,” Malgas said.
“My husband is on treatment for tuberculosis and I fear his condition can only get worse because of the flooding.
“We have applied for a house long ago but the government has failed us big time as well as our ward councillor Sixolisiwe Ntsasela, who was nowhere to be found during our ordeal.”
Malgas said they had to spend the evening sleeping at relatives’ homes.
Elgin Steenkamp, who lives with his wife and two children in a shack, had to vacate it as it was so badly damaged by the flood.
“I have been given empty promises of getting a structure for me and my family by Ntsasela since my house got gutted by fire in Acorn Valley in 2018,” Steenkamp said.
“During the thunderstorm I again tried to contact Ntsasela but could not get hold of her, so I have given up hope of getting a decent place to stay,” he said.
Plateau Extension resident Ntomzanele Kuzane said the water level in her house was higher than her toilet seat and caused damage to floor tiles, her furniture and most of her other belongings.
“It was like a river flowing at high speed through my house, the way the water entered by the front door from the street,” said Kuzane.
She said her family was assisted by neighbours who helped save whatever they could grab, adding it was not the first time this had happened.
“We had the same experience last year and after we reported the matter to our authorities, nothing has been done to avoid a similar incident of this nature to occur again,” she said.
“What frustrated me the most was when I needed help from our councillor, she just failed to respond after we contacted her on her mobile.”
Residents blamed the flooding of their homes on the lack of a proper drainage system in the area.
“There are no storm water drains to any of these roads here and the flooding always happens after heavy rains,” a resident who wanted to remain anonymous said.
Several attempts to contact Ntsasela on her cellphone were unsuccessful.