Past flood victims in Mams evacuate homes when rains start
Residents said it was a drill to look after one another and move valuable things out of their shacks.
Following heavy and persistent rain in greater Pretoria recently, victims of previous floods in Mamelodi have started vacating their homes for fear of another disaster.
According to residents of Nellmapius and the far east of Mamelodi, they evacuated the area to ensure their own safety and to mitigate potential flood damage to their belongings, especially for those living on the riverbank.
Community representative December Matlala said fear was building as a lot of shacks were already flooded. According to him the forecast of further showers and thunderstorms continued to spark fear among the residents.
“At the moment nothing serious has been reported but the situation is very tense and we are concerned about everyone’s safety,” said Matlala.
“The government and Tshwane metro have kept quiet, and residents have lost hope about getting help moving to a safer place. We are tired of empty promises. MECs for human settlement come and go. All of them made the same promise to relocate us but none of them has delivered on their promises.”
Matlala said the community has become used to living in fear when it starts raining.
“When its start to rain, we all run for safety and when it’s safe, we go back,” he said.
Another resident, Kedibone Mphela, said they were told about upcoming heavy rains and did not waste time, especially those residing near the flood lines and river banks.
“We are unable to sleep at night with heavy rains and we must always think safety first and continuously check on everyone,” said Mphela.
She added heavy rains bring back bad memories of empty promises by the government.
“It is almost two years now since the government promised to move everyone to a safer place,” she said.
Tshwane emergency services (EMS) spokesperson Thabo Charles Mabaso said persistent rain has led to flooding of informal settlements in Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Soshanguve and Cullinan.
Multiple roads in the southern, eastern and western parts of Tshwane experienced some flooding, which led to traffic disruptions on the morning of Monday, February 13.
He said EMS calls on motorists to exercise extreme caution and reduce speed, switch on headlights and increase following distances when driving in rainy and wet conditions.
“Over the weekend in Mamelodi East, the Stoffelpark bridge behind Mams mall was reported to be flooded this morning. A minibus taxi got stuck but there were no injuries.”
EMS monitored all known hotspots and remains on high alert because the SA weather service has forecast further disruptive showers.
“Our repeated calls on motorists to desist from crossing flooded low-water bridges and ignoring barriers used to close roads during flooding seem to fall on deaf ears, because we still see vehicles being washed away in regular spots.
“Behaving safely is everyone’s responsibility,” said Mabaso.
Dial 107 toll-free to report a fire or life-threatening emergency.
ALSO READ: Centurion roads closed due to floods
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