Flood of tears: Granny's horror as 3 grandchildren washed away in deluge

When Eastern Cape granny Lumka Ndzendze left for work at 5am on Tuesday, she could not have known that within two hours she would lose everything — including her three grandchildren.

As heavy winter rains persisted, the stream alongside her house near Mthatha swelled, breaking its banks and becoming a rampaging flood.

Ndzendze’s grandchildren — Indiphile Bavu, 11, Keneilwe Bavu, 8, and Cebo Bavu, 6 — were still asleep when she left the house before dawn.

By the time she had rushed back to her Slovo Park home, the children had been swept away by the swirling waters, and her house was engulfed.

She had been  paying off the home she lived in — perched on the edge of a “small stream” — in instalments. She is one of thousands who live  in houses and shacks  built perilously close to rivers and streams in the region.

She had been paying off the home she lived in — perched on the edge of a “small stream” — in instalments.

She is one of thousands who live in precarious shacks built perilously close to rivers and streams in the region.

The foods have forced at least 6,500 people in the Eastern Cape from their homes. The South African Weather Service had issued an orange level 9 warning of flash flooding and snow for the OR Tambo, Chris Hani, Amathole and Joe Qabi district municipalities. 

By Saturday afternoon, the death toll stood at 90 and 38 people had been rescued, with search and rescue teams still on the ground recovering more bodies.

“The children were still asleep when the floods swept the house away at around 6am on Tuesday,” Ndzendze told the Sunday Times.

“They were supposed to wake up just before 7am to get ready for school. It was just minutes before their usual wake-up time. I had left them in bed like I always do. My son and I leave early every day because I work as a cook at a nearby school. They went to Bambanani Primary, which is just a short walk from home.

“I had just arrived at work when we saw water suddenly gushing through, flooding the homes. I rushed back when I realised my place was affected. I was worried about the children,” she said.

“When I got there, everything was underwater. I could not even see the rooftops. Police officers and lifeguards arrived.

“They rescued some neighbours who made it to the rooftops. We roamed around, helpless, until sunset. We were told to come back the following day.

“I did not sleep. I just sat and waited for daybreak,” she said.

In the morning the water had subsided and the scale of her loss was clear.

“The house was gone — there was nothing left, only the foundation,” she said. “I found some of our belongings along the stream — things like TV sets, curtains, duvets, and the children’s clothes.

“Their bodies were found three streets away from home.”

Ndzendze said she had not yet received any counselling, and her daughter — the children’s mother, Yolo Bavu, 29 — was struggling to cope. She said the family’s main concern now was a funeral for the children.

“As I grapple with my pain, my heart goes out to my neighbours,” she said.

“When I returned to the area on Thursday to collect whatever belongings I could find, an entire family from one of the neighbouring homes was still missing. The situation is dire. Many people have yet to be found. We have not yet decided when the funeral will be held.”

But beyond the funeral, what breaks Ndzendze’s heart is the agony of a future without her grandchildren.

“I remember everything about them. It was lovely living with them,” she said. “I miss their noise and their little quarrels. That is what made my house a home. It felt warm.”

Nolwando Pazima, from Ngqeleni, lost her sister-in-law, Nomzekelo Pazima, 43, and her two-year-old son, Izibele, in the floods.

“My sister-in-law and her son lived in Slovo Park,” she said.

“She worked in Mthatha. We are still waiting to hear from the authorities about the way forward. We are in the middle of making funeral arrangements. Their bodies have been identified. My brother, her husband, works in Johannesburg — he is devastated.”

She said a family member who lives in the same area had shared the news.

“We were told the roof was swept away, the house filled with water, and they drowned,” she said. “My sister-in-law was a warm and kind person.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa, national ministers and provincial government officials led by Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane visited affected areas, including the worst-hit village in Mthatha, Decoligny, on Friday.

|The president addressed about 100 displaced residents at the Sinolwazi Senior Secondary School. “We are not used to losing so many people at one time, that is why I came to see for myself what happened,” Ramaphosa said.

He said he had received an extensive briefing from Mabuyane, and praised the response from the three spheres of government in helping the victims and searching for those who were still missing.

“That to me demonstrates the capability of our government in responding to disasters like this.

“As the premier says, it could have been much worse than this. Obviously, we are disturbed that so many people passed away but it could have been much worse.”

Residents complained to Ramaphosa that they were not aware of the weather warning because their electricity had been disconnected. Mabuyane said he would investigate. 

OR Tambo district municipal officials denied allegations on social media that they had contributed to the devastation by opening the sluice gates of the Mthatha Dam and letting too much water into the Mthatha River.

OR Tambo mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana said: “In times such as these, misinformation fuels panic, confuses communities and undermines the real work being done to protect and support our people.”

Ngqondwana, citing the widespread devastation in the district, described the allegations as highly improbable.

“The municipality is working to reinforce water delivery trucks to support affected communities, with a need for more trucks to meet the demand.”