FLOODS: A YEAR ON …
Families recall painful memories
FAMILIES who lost loved ones during the April 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal are still struggling to cope with their loss.
This week marks the first anniversary of the floods, which claimed the lives of more than 450 people. Some are still missing, while survivors were moved to temporary housing.
For Logan Kittensamy, life has changed forever.
His wife, Neena, 63, and their daughters, Sharal, 39, and Natasha, 26, died on the morning of April 12 last year after the sandbank behind their property in Forfar Place, Bonela, collapsed. This resulted in a mudslide.
It crushed the back wall and the roof of the three-bedroomed home. The family were asleep at the time. Sharal’s body was found first. Her mother and sister were discovered about three hours later by a search and rescue team.
Sharal was a lecturer at an educational institution, Natasha was a maths teacher at a high school and their mom was a housewife.
The evening prior to their deaths, the family were discussing the Indian Premier League (cricket) in the lounge. At about 11pm, Neena and her daughters went to bed, while Kittensamy fell asleep in the lounge.
He was awakened by a loud noise and saw that part of the house had collapsed.
“The past year has been a nightmare,” said Kittensamy, 67, who now lives with his son and his family in Hillary.
“I still can’t get over what happened. I’ve been having sleepless nights. There are times when I wake up and find myself wandering aimlessly. I sit in the lounge sometimes and think for hours.”
He said he took on a casual job in a laboratory in Jacobs to keep him distracted.
“It’s been really hard. I try to keep myself busy so that I do not become overwhelmed by my emotions.”
Kittensamy said he had been to the house since the incident to collect his mail.
“The house remains untouched. All my belongings are still under the rubble. The beds are there and the furniture is underground. People have helped themselves to the burglar guards and the window frames, but it is all material things that I am not too concerned about. The only thing that is growing there is the weeds.”
He said he sometimes sat at the home’s front gate and reflected on the memories.
“I remember the last day with my daughters. We had arrived home from work at the same time and were walking up the driveway. I said to my friend, who was dropping me off, ‘That’s my two babies’. It was so shocking because the next time I spoke to him, it was to tell him that my family had been wiped out.”
He said he was still undecided on whether he would move back to the home once it had been cleared and rebuilt.
“There are so many memories there. I moved into the home in 1994.
“My children grew up there, but I don’t know how I will feel once it is rebuilt. I can’t tell you. It might be too emotional for me.”
Kittensamy said the one-year death anniversary was observed in January, according to the Hindu calendar.
“I will be having a prayer on Wednesday to remember them on the day the disaster happened. It will be held at my aunt’s house in Mobeni Heights. We will
offer fruit and milk and will take it from there. My aunt will guide me. She has been incredibly supportive. My in-laws and friends have also been there for me.”
He said he received poor support from the government.
“So many people said they would help, even with the rebuilding. But now there is silence.”
Kittensamy’s son, Jordache, said: “Promises were made but one year has passed and our house is exactly the same. It’s been difficult because we still have an outstanding balance with the funeral parlour.
“There are days when it doesn’t feel real. It feels like a dream. We are trying to deal with the pain as it comes.”
Nancy Ponen’s son, Shogan Julian Ponen, 34, and her brother-in-law, Kevin Moonsamy, 42, died on the evening of April 11.
The vehicle Shogan was driving was filled with water and lodged in a tree metres from their home in Sandfields, Tongaat.
Shogan was a fabricator at a steelworks company and Moonsamy was a supervisor at a private security company.
“I still remember that night like it was yesterday,” said Ponen.
“Kevin was unwell and went to the clinic in the Tongaat CBD. When he was done, he called Shogan to pick him up. By then, it began to rain heavily and the water level on the roads began to rise. Our home also began to flood. I remember phoning Shogan to check on him. He told me he would be home soon.”
She said on his way home, Shogan drove over a bridge and when he reached the entrance of the road the van became lodged.
“The current then pushed the van and it lodged in a tree. The rainwater continued to fill the vehicle. A neighbour called to tell me what was happening.
“I notified my other son, Preshen. I also told him that my home was being flooded. He told me to pack up my important documents and some clothing and leave with my youngest son, Shaylin, which I did.”
Ponen said Preshen went to the scene.
“Preshen told us that Shogan’s body was slumped and Kevin’s body was over him. It appeared as if Kevin was trying to get the driver’s door open. Preshen managed to get to them. He touched their bodies and they were cold. He waited for about seven hours for assistance so their bodies could be removed. There was a delay because of the weather.”
She continued: “The year has been traumatic. When my husband, Danny, died in 2018, Shogan took on the responsibility of the head of the home. He was a wonderful son and took care of us.
“I miss seeing him come home from work, our conversations and spending time together on weekends.
“Without him and Kevin, the house is quiet. I still cannot believe he was so close to home when this happened. To pass the site, where their bodies were found, every day has not been easy. I pray for strength every day.”
Ponen said she planned on having a memorial service in June.