Hundreds of residents in a Motherwell informal settlement are desperate for new accommodation after their homes were flooded with stormwater and sewage during the storms this week.
The residents are being accommodated in two churches in the area.
They fled their homes on Tuesday after flooding caused devastation across Nelson Mandela Bay.
While those in other areas slowly start to move back, large sections of Khayelitsha in Motherwell are still covered by pools of knee-high water.
Ward 55 councillor Thanduxolo Doda mobilised Gift of the Givers and Fibertime to provide essentials on Thursday.
These included food, blankets and toiletries.
Doda said Khayelitsha had a long-standing sewage spill problem and a nearby pond worsened the flood when it overflowed.
“It is painful being a councillor who serves people in such areas because you run out of excuses after doing what you can to assist. The municipality won’t come on board.”
Resident Nomasomi Genu said the area had become unsafe for children.
“We have been living in a pigsty because of sewage spills for a long time,” Genu said.
“The rain made it worse because all our belongings are wet and damaged.
“As I am standing here, I only have the clothes on my back.
“I could not go to my shack the past three days because it was inaccessible and dangerous due to the amount of water.”
Genu said the metro needed to prioritise relocating the residents to a safer area.
Fibertime area manager Willem Freysen said they had to help because most of their clients were in Motherwell.
“We aim to bridge the digital gap between suburbs and the township and felt the need to support our clients in time of need,” he said.
“We reached out to some of our partners and put something together and bought food and our branded T-shirts for the people.”
HeraldLIVE
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