Last night’s storm claims two lives

The lives of two women from the Mvunyane area near Mondlo came to a tragic end yesterday evening as they drowned in the Umvunyane River while attempting to get home.

According to Ward 17’s Cllr Abigail Khumalo, the women were walking home from a SASSA pension paypoint when the shocking tragedy took place.

“They must have tried to get across the river to their families but unfortunately the current was too strong and they were both swept away,” she said.

The women left their groceries on the riverbank and attempted to wade their way through the water.

The community and family members , with the help of Vryheid and Ulundi police, spent the entire evening searching for the bodies of these women, and they were eventually recovered a long distance down the river.

According to Vuyisile Khumalo, the chairperson of the war room committee in Ward 17, the community members in the area have requested a bridge for almost a decade now from provincial government to no avail.

Community members in the area are said to have a hard time getting to their homesteads when the river is full, especially during the rainy season.

“These two elderly women leave behind children and grandchildren,” said Ms Khumalo with great sadness.

Also read: Mondlo mourns as young man’s body is recovered from water

Picture sourced from the internet