Flooded river threat for villagers

School children face daunting task after makeshift bridge was washed away

Scores of pupils from a remote village in Limpopo face the daunting task of crossing a flooded river daily to get to school after torrential rains in the area.

For years, villagers from the Natal section of Sane village in the Makhado local municipality were using a makeshift wooden bridge over the Mfogodi River for their children to get to school.

However, the bridge was washed away, cutting residents off from the rest of the world.

They are now forced to use use a tree trunk to cross the flooded river. A wire tied to another tree on the other side of the river acts as a hand rail.

According to locals their secMavis tion was named Natal because it’s far from everything and is found between mountains.

Resident Nkumeleni Khalushi and her young relatives used the tree trunk to cross the Mfogodi River to visit relatives.

“It difficult for us to cross here when the river is full. As community members we had to cut this tall tree on Monday in order to cross to the other side and go to town,” she said.

“We come here and help our children cross to the other side for school. It is not safe for anyone, particularly primary school children,” she said.

She said her younger brother who is in grade 1 had not been to school this week because it is not safe for him to cross the river.

An 11-year-old boy who said he was crossing to Natal to play soccer with his friends, said he was used to the balancing act on the tree trunk while holding the wire for safety.

“I’m not afraid to cross because even yesterday I was playing soccer with my friends. But I can’t cross when it’s full because I will drown,” the boy said.

Another resident, Ampfarisaho Luvhani, 28, said the wooden makeshift bridge that was washed away was built by the municipality.

“We never had a proper bridge since I was born. As a young person who is looking for a job how am I supposed to do that because it’s impossible to cross,” she asked.

Luvhani added that last week some of her relatives had to sleep in Sane village because they could not cross the flooded river.

Masingi, 53, said she was born in Natal and later moved to Sane village, adding that her grandparents endured the same difficulties as they couldn’t cross the river whenever it was flooded.

“We couldn’t go to town or school when it is full. Even the teachers know that many children will miss the school during rainy season,” she said.

Masingi said residents felt the government had neglected them.

Makhado municipal spokesperson Louis Bobodi said residents will get a proper bridge after six months, weather permitting.

“The contractor has just started officially as of the first of this month at a cost of R12m. This project was budgeted for in the 2020/21 financial year,” he said. He said the contractor was already appointed when the floods occurred.