Underwater in Dwesa

I read the article about Dwesa Nature Reserve in go! #148 with interest. In 1978, my husband Bert did a research project in the area and we stayed in the chalets in the reserve during a holiday in April. My youngest son Francois was not even one year old at the time. One night, some of the local residents came to warn us that a flood was coming and we should move our vehicle to higher ground, which Bert did. At five o’clock the next morning, Francois woke. I went to pick him up and was shocked when I stepped in water. The river had burst its banks and the chalets were flooded! The local residents rushed to our aid and helped us to move our belongings to one of the chalets at the base of the mountain. One of the women carried Francois on her back so he wouldn’t get wet. We had to wade through hip-high water. The bridge that connected us to the main road was submerged. Francois fell ill and had to be taken to Mthatha by helicopter. The Afrikaans singer Lance James was also in the helicopter – he had been in Port St Johns for a show. Bert and our daughters Erica and Katinka stayed behind and could only cross the river five days later. The kids thought it was a great adventure because they got to miss a few days of school… COBI POLLING, Polokwane