Victims of the past weekend’s flooding in Mamelodi have pleaded with the government to take the issue of displaced families seriously.

Pretoria Rekord visited displaced families at community halls who lost everything they owned when floods swept away their shacks for the second time.

Most of the displaced families said in 2019 their shacks were swept away and the government promised to relocate everyone to a safer place.

However, only a lucky few were moved.

Samson Makhubela (50) from Mountain View informal settlement pleaded with the government to relocate everyone to a safer place.

“The government must find land that is big enough to relocate everyone so when they start relocating, they remove everyone at once,” said Makhubela.

Pensioner Johannah Skhosana (61) from Willow Farm informal settlement said she and her daughter lost everything they owned and they are left with the clothes on their back.

“Government officials came and promised to send officials from home affairs to help us with our lost documents and we are still waiting until today,” Skhosana.

She added time flies and they don’t want to spend months waiting to be relocated as it’s almost a week now after they were placed at the community halls.

Virgin Mabuza (60) from Willow Farm informal settlement said this was the second time she was hit by the floods. She said in 2019 she was among the 700 families who were displaced by the floods.

She said her shack was swept away and she was placed at the community hall where she was among a list of people to be relocated to a safer place.

“Months went by and because of difficult living conditions and fight after fight. I had no choice to leave and go back to the informal settlement and build another shack,” Mabuza.

“A week after I left, the relocation process started and I was left behind, knowing that my name was on the list of displaced families,” she said.

Kedibone Mashele (43) Mavuso informal settlement said she was amongst the 700 families who were displaced in 2019 and today she was a victim again of something that the government could have prevented.

“I was pregnant and due to give birth in 2019 when the floods swept away our shacks and stayed a couple of days at a community hall, but due to a heavy pregnancy, I went home and my name was removed from the list of people to be relocated to Mooiplaats.”

Mashele pleaded with the government not to repeat the same mistake and relocate everyone at once to a safer place not relocate people in groups and phases.

Thembi Montja (35), a mother of three from Willow Farm informal settlement said she was lucky to be alive with her children.

She said her neighbours woke her up in time before her shack was swept away.

“I lost everything in the floods and I watched my shack taken away by the floods,” said Montja.

“It is about time the government stop with empty promises and relocate everyone and stop with corruption when it comes to relocating people,” said Montja.

Phindile Mokoena (29) Willow Farm informal settlement said she was traumatised and got scared when it starts to train.

She was amongst the 700 families who lost everything they own when their shacks were swept away by floods in 2019.

Mokoena said she had no choice but she was forced to go back and rebuild her shack because of the living condition at the community halls.

She said she was on the list of people who were on the list to be relocated but because of corruption, she was left behind.