After severe flooding on October 9, which turned their home into, what they describe as, a dam, Sharon Mashilane’s family found themselves scrambling to find shelter. According to the family, the flooding was allegedly caused by nearby church construction, built directly over the natural flow of water that channels runoff toward the Jukskei River.

“It started raining around 18:00,” said Mashilane. “Our home is a corner house, right where the street bends. On the other side of our yard, there’s supposed to be a natural waterway that leads into the river, but because the nearby church built a wall across that flow, the rainwater has nowhere to go. Instead of draining into the river, it bounces back and floods our yard.

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We have about 12 rooms on the property, and every single one of them was flooded.”

For years, the family says they have been living with this problem, repeatedly raising concerns with the church owners and asking them to rebuild or modify their boundary wall to allow proper water drainage. To date, no solution has been reached.

The latest flooding left Mashilane counting heavy losses, from furniture and electrical appliances to essentials like beds and clothing. “We met with the church owners to explain what had happened and to push for a permanent solution, because this problem has been going on for years.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Sharon Mashilane’s family had to find alternative accommodation after their home was flooded due to a church structure allegedly built on a natural water flow path. Video: Ditiro Masuku #LocalNews #trendingviralvideo #caxtonlocalmedia #SANEWS #Gauteng ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

We made it clear that we have no issue with churches being built in the area, they play an important role in our community, however, that particular site was never meant for construction. It’s part of the natural drainage route where rainwater should be flowing freely.”

Mashilane described the response as disappointing, saying church leaders only promised to keep the area clean to prevent debris from blocking the natural water flow, far from the lasting solution residents were hoping for.

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“We told them that simply cleaning the area is not a permanent solution. Part of the church wall needs to be demolished to allow the water to pass through, otherwise we’ll keep experiencing these floods.

They refused, instead suggesting building small bridges for us to use. We tried to explain the situation in detail, but, at first, they weren’t co-operative. It was only after we mentioned the possibility of starting a petition and taking further action that they began to make several promises – which we are still waiting for them to fulfil.”

The church leadership was contacted for comment and indicated that they would respond in due course. An update will be provided once their response is received. However, Ward 95 councillor Julius Maake ignored repeated queries sent to him.

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