Rains and drains cause flooding
Heavy rains over the weekend and blocked drains left about 20 shack dwellers in Greenfields, Knysna looking for alternative accommodation after their homes were flooded. When Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) visited the area on Sunday, water in some of the more than 10 affected shacks was above knee-height. Some residents had given up removing the water from their houses as the rain continued to pour.
Pieces of wood, shoes, clothes and chairs could be seen floating between the shacks. Knysna Municipality spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhoudt said they are attending to the situation in Greenfields. “Cleaning operations and repairs are currently underway in all affected areas,” he said.
Resident Yonela Mkhwetheli said the floods were caused by three blocked drains in the area. “This would not happen if our drainage system was fixed. Water stops here every time it rains because of three blocked drains in the area, but this is the first time it has caused this problem,” Mkhwetheli said. “I am lucky that I managed to remove my things early."
Another resident, Mike Majikija, said he had to sleep in the flooded house as there was no accommodation offered for affected people. “My furniture, new electrical appliance and my wardrobe are all damaged,” he said. “When our ward councillor arrived he only took a few pictures and did not care about the damage,” he said.
Phumza Mzala, a third resident, said although the ward councillor and municipal official visited the area on Sunday, nothing was done. “They said they have no plan and there are no places where people can go to. They asked those affected to sleep in their relatives' houses,” she said.
On Monday, ward councillor Sithembele Ngqezu said when he heard about the situation in Greenfields on Sunday he visited the area. “Blocked drains in Greenfields are the reason for the damage. Today (on Monday) we are going to unblock that drain to allow water to flow,” said Ngqezu, adding that they could not offer the people alternative accommodation because there was none available.
On Tuesday however, the drains were still not attended to, according to resident Bukelwa Papu.