Pretoria women narrowly escapes KZN floods
There was nowhere to go and the water just kept on coming closer.
A group of local women’s vacation ended up in a narrow escape and a race for time when widespread flooding devastated many parts of KZN.
Last week Friday, Centurion resident Gerda van Schalkwyk and a group of her friends flew down to Natal to take part in The Wild Walk, a five day “slackpacking” adventure along the Pondo Wild Coast.
Expecting only light rain, the group of adventurers checked into a backpackers lodge and prepared themselves for the weekend ahead.
“On Saturday it was raining quite a lot but nowhere near what we saw the next few days.”
On Sunday, the backpackers lodge was surrounded by water and mud which was made even worse by a nearby river.
“We were all very scared.
“There was nowhere to go and the water just kept on coming closer and closer,” she said.
Fortunately they were able to call for help and the local community banded together and rescued the trapped backpackers in 4x4s that were able to traverse the water.
The group was then transported to a nearby hotel, and Van Schalkwyk was able to see the extent of the damage.
“The road was so full of potholes, rocks and debris we could hardly drive.
“I think we go out of there just in time. If they didn’t arrive when they did, the situation would have been far worse,” said Van Schalkwyk.
The group spent the rest of the week in the hotel until the roads were cleared.
On Friday they drove to Durban airport to fly back to Gauteng.
Van Schalkwy said she’s very happy that the group she was with were all highly experienced and therefore did not panic when the situation began to deteriorate.
“We were calm and worked together to ensure we all escaped the situation without anyone being injured,” she said.
A fellow adventurer, Catherine van Heerden, described her experience in a poem.
“Trapped between leaking huts and angry streams, our plans becoming floating dreams.
“Your raincoat is to be worn around your mind, your words and your soul.
“Letting the rains nourish the earth whilst you nourish yourself with what you control.”
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