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For six hours, Mncedi Buwa clung to an overhead wire above his flooded home in Decoligny, outside Mthatha, with his 18-month-old daughter tied to his belt by a shoelace.
A year later, the events of June 10 2025 remain as vivid as ever.
“I still think about that day all the time,” he said.
Security guard Buwa survived the floods along with his daughter and the child’s nanny.
The floods claimed at least 104 lives across the Eastern Cape and left thousands homeless after torrential rain swept through communities in and around Mthatha.
Buwa said he had woken up shortly before 5am and gone outside to use the toilet when he noticed water rushing towards his home.
Realising the danger, he ran back inside, grabbed a hammer and broke through the roof.
He, the nanny and his daughter climbed onto the roof, where they remained stranded for more than six hours before rescuers reached them by boat.
“We had no chance of making it out through the main door because the water was rising too fast,” he said.
“Even now I am still not OK when I think about it. We were on that roof with my baby strapped to my belt only with a shoelace until a boat arrived hours later to save us.
“It was the most painful and traumatic thing I have ever experienced.
“We were helpless and hungry, with little hope of escape.
“Even as I am speaking to you, I get emotional.”
He said he would have appreciated more counselling to help him deal with the trauma.
Though grateful that his family survived, Buwa lost his home and most of his possessions.
His Toyota Corolla was submerged during the floods and later stripped of parts after the water subsided.
“Whenever I think about June 10, I become nervous,” he said.
For many survivors, the anniversary has reopened painful memories.
Siziwe Fafele, who now lives in temporary residential units at Maydene Farm, said she still struggled whenever it rained.
“What happened that day is not something I want to remember, but I just cannot forget it, no matter how hard I try,” she said.
“I do not like talking about it at all. Whenever someone brings it up, it opens fresh wounds.”
Fafele is among residents elected to represent flood survivors living in the temporary accommodation.
She said conditions had improved since residents moved to the site, with more than 10 pit toilets installed and solar panel installations recently beginning.
However, residents still have concerns.
The toilets are located some distance from the housing units and are poorly lit at night, while many residents want the area fenced off because members of the public regularly walk through the settlement.
Nokhaya Zide, who previously lived in Slovo Park informal settlement, said she had no intention of returning to her former home.
“We were told we would eventually get permanent houses, but for now we do not know whether that will become a reality.
“No-one has told us where they will be built or whether the government has acquired land for that purpose,” she said.
Residents have continued to rely on paraffin and candles for cooking and lighting, though recent donations of gas stoves have provided some relief.
King Sabata Dalindyebo municipal spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said about 193 temporary housing units had been established at Maydene Farm.
“The municipality is engaging traditional leaders regarding land [for permanent houses].
“Once the total number of houses is quantified, we will then be able to determine the amount of money needed to construct them,” he said.
Mampoza said the municipality continued to encourage residents living in flood-prone areas and river floodplains to relocate because of the risks involved.
Daily Dispatch
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