Sane village cut off by flood water

The pedestrian cable bridge, used by the residents of among others Sane village to cross the Mufongodi River, had been swept away by floods last Friday (5^th).

Sane residents, who fall under the jurisdiction of Makhado Municipality, are now cut off from other nearby villages. While rain continues to pour in some parts of Vhembe, the condition of roads in these areas are in a bad state. Many bridges have been swept away, and Sane and neighbouring villages are divided by the overflowing Mufongodi River.

The pedestrian bridge, which had been erected after the main bridge was swept away during heavy floods in 2000, has now also been washed away. A sickly pensioner, Mr Simon Ratshilumela (73) died on the evening of 5 February after an ambulance failed to access the village in order to transport him to the hospital, because the road was too badly damaged.

The family spokesperson of the deceased, Ms Azwindini Ratshilumela, said that they don’t know how they are going to bury their father on 13 February if the rain continues, as the mortuary vans cannot access the village.

“The situation is bad with the continuing rain. We don’t even have drinking water, as the water pipes were also uprooted. We are unable to cross (the river) to buy mealie meal at other villages. He could have been saved if a helicopter was dispatched here. My father died in front of our eyes,” a grieving Ms Ratshilumela told the Limpopo Mirror.

A community member, Mr Daniel Tshotheli, said that the government needs to do something to assist the distressed residents. He believes that the life of Mr Ratshilumela could have been saved if there had been emergency support.

“Paramedics came by the river, but could not assist to carry him across the river when he was still alive. He waited for a helicopter for the whole day, but that too did not happen. He went back home after six hours and died. He was supposed to cross the flooded Mufongodi River,” Tshotheli said. “Emergency officers came back the following day. They tried hard to carry the body. They ended up using a cable to carry the body across the river. The situation is bad, as people on the other side are stranded. We have chronic patients who need to go to clinics and hospitals to get medication and they are unable to leave the village.”

Vhembe District municipal spokesperson, Mr Matodzi Ralushai said that disaster teams are working hard to access all the affected areas.

“We are experiencing heavy rains under the Vhembe District Municipality, which have led to bridges, roads and pipelines to be swept away, and houses to collapse. But our disaster management teams and other departments are working hard to make sure everything return to normal,” he said.

Date:11 February 2021

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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