Cyclone Freddy left newly-constructed Buhleni Plaza defaced

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BUHLENI – Cyclone Freddy lasted only a few days but three months later, its effects are still visible. One such instance is that of Buhleni Plaza, which was left with a section of a retaining wall damaged. This is visible from one of the entrances of the plaza, leaving a section of the plaza defaced.

According to information sourced online, a retaining wall is a structure that supports soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. It is constructed to resist the lateral pressure of the soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceeds the angle of repose of the soil. The purpose of a retaining wall is to prevent the soil erosion, improve drainage, protect surrounding structures, and enhance the appearance of a landscape.

The Buhleni Plaza is one of the development projects in the town since His Majesty declared that it should be a full-fledged town. The King tasked the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that this was made possible.

Projects

Since then, several development projects have been taking place, including a second filling station and shopping complex, a sport recreational centre, a state-of-the-art police station, which is yet to be opened and soon, commencement of the construction of a residential area will take place.

Buhleni and the surrounding areas were among the hardest hit areas of the country by the cyclone. In some of the areas, multimillion Emalangeni bridges were washed away.

As the cyclone persisted in February 2023, it resulted in torrential rainfall, which caused massive erosion. This then caused a section of the retaining wall on Buhleni Plaza to give in. A large section near one of the parking areas collapsed.

However, some members of the public were left wondering what caused the retaining wall to collapse.

Gordon Mbuli, who is the town’s representative from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development when reached for comment said the collapse was caused by Cyclone Freddy.

He said the structure was one of the many infrastructures that were affected by the cyclone.

On February 11, 2023, this publication reported on the effects of Cyclone Freddy throughout the country.

In one of the incidences that were reported on, a 50-year-old-man died when a house he had slept in collapsed during torrential rainfall as a result of the cyclone.

The man is said to have been visiting a relative, but decided to sleep to avoid the rain but the house collapsed on him instead.