Blow for family as 5 cattle struck by lightning
MPOFU – Among emaSwati, cattle play a very significant role as they are not only a source of food, but also income and a key player in many traditional ceremonies.
However, a Maphanga family, residing at Mpofu, had their entire kraal of cattle almost wiped out when lightning struck last Sunday.
This was during a storm that hit some parts of the country. The cattle were said to have been struck by lightning, resulting in the death of five of them.
It was gathered that the kraal had about seven cattle, and only two were saved from the strike. Mgcibelo Maphanga, who was still shocked by the incident, confirmed that his cattle were killed by the lightning. Speaking about the cattle, Maphanga said the cattle were killed were valued at about E60 000.
He mentioned that since the cattle died of natural causes, they could not be consumed nor could their meat be sold.
For this reason, he said he was forced to bury the carcasses to avoid it being consumed.
Maphanga is one of the many emaSwati who had their property or livestock damaged by the storm last weekend.
The storm also brought hailstones in some areas, causing massive damage not only to property, but also to livestock.
He said since he was unemployed,
the life for his family would now be difficult. “I used to sell at least one beast every year to pay for the children’s school fees,” he said.
He said now that he no longer had the cattle, except for the two which are still calves, he did not know how he would support his family.
damaged
The area of Mpofu, where Maphanga resides, is a regular path of storms as it is not the first time that this publication reported on the damage caused by a storm.
Previously, it had been reported that houses in the area were damaged as well as Mpofu High School, whose administration block roofing was blown away.
Also, Mgibelo revealed that he recently injured his eye while doing some chores as he was unemployed.
He said a piece of wood hit his eye and that he immediately became visually impaired.
Maphanga said this happened around November and that
he was still undergoing treatment. He said while he was at Siteki around Good Shepherd Hospital for treatment of his eye, Maphang stated that he received news that his cattle had been killed by lightning.
He said this was a bad sign for him as it appeared he had bad luck.
He said it was strange that everything bad was happening at the same time.
Meanwhile, according to a report released by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), about 5 761 people were affected by the storm. It was reported that it also left 877 houses damaged.
Additionally, vehicles were not spared and also suffered damage from the storm.
The regions of Manzini and Shiselweni were said to have been the most affected by the storm.
It was further reported that 21 schools and 12 churches were affected, while 23 people were injured.