The roof of Moses Moletsane Koena’s eight-roomed house in Kanana blew off during the gale-force winds of last Saturday night. Five days later, he says the family has still received no help from the NW 405 municipality.

‘To my knowledge, a disaster is a disaster. Anyone can be affected, regardless of whether you are rich or poor,’ says the SAPS sergeant in disbelief.

According to the stressed father of two, disaster struck on Saturday at about 18:00 when the family was preparing to settle down for the night. ‘It was drizzling outside and, suddenly, the electricity went off and the house was in darkness. We were standing in the bedroom, thinking of what we were going to do when the ceiling of the main bedroom collapsed on our heads,’ he says. ‘We were panicking and the children were crying because they did not know what was happening. The wind was very strong. I decided to put the kids in the wardrobe to keep them from harm,’ he added.

The next minute, the bedroom roof was flung off and the raindrops pelted down on the couple’s head.

Once the storm has passed, Moses went to assess the damage. The house was flooded, the geyser was completely detached from the wall, electrical wires were dangling, the garage roof had also caved in and the falling bricks had damaged the car. The ceiling had fallen onto the television and other appliances and the bathtub and basin had been damaged.

‘I called the disaster management but they only arrived at about 12:30 the next day. I filled out some papers they asked me to complete but they never said whether they would assist us because they claim we are not indigent,’ he said.

The family’s support came from the neighbours. ‘My next-door neighbour offered us a tent that he hires out. If it was not for him, I don’t know how I would have covered the house,’ he said.

The long-awaited rain that brought so much joy to the hearts of Potchefstromers on Tuesday, brought more headaches and distress for the family as they rushed around in the dark with candles and buckets to deal with a flooded house once again. They battled and lay awake all night, stressing and fearing the worst.

The Koenas are in a dilemma and appeal to good samaritans to assist them. ‘I took out a loan to renovate the house and fix the roof last year. I am still in debt,’ he said.

Anyone who would like to help the family can contact Moses at 078 107 9665. The family resides at 10868/49 at Tambo Street in Kanana, near the Roman Catholic Church.