Hailstones the size of eggs wreak havoc

By Sharika Regchand
Pietermaritzburg Bureau

Mop-up operations were in full swing this weekend after a storm, with hailstones the size of eggs, battered areas of the Amajuba (Newcastle) District Municipality on Friday, leaving 1 000 people homeless.

Lindani Dladla, head of disaster management, said teams had been sent from door to door to ascertain how many households had been affected. Homes in Madadeni, Mathukusa and Utrecht were the worst-hit. The storm had damaged formal and low-cost RDP houses, as well as rural houses.

Dladla said affected people were being provided with tents and plastic sheeting, and a soup kitchen had been set up.

Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube and Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo visited the affected areas on Saturday. Dube appealed to businesses to assist the government in the mopping-up process.

Dube said she would prepare a consolidated report on the recent natural disasters in the province, which would be submitted to the cabinet this week.

Just more than a week ago, strong winds and heavy rainfall caused damage worth R110 million in the eThekwini region, on the South Coast and around Pietermaritzburg. A storm also hit Bulwer three weeks ago, causing damage of R20m.

• This article was originally published on page 4 of The Mercury on November 30, 2009