Eight classrooms and more than 140 homes in rural Dutywa were damaged by a ferocious storm, which left one person dead.
Although the storm hit the area a week ago, the extent of the damage came to light only yesterday.
More than 270 of the 304 pupils at Lower Falakahla Junior Secondary School in Ngquthu village outside Dutywa were left without classrooms, as their zinc roofs were blown away.
Principal Fezile Mcetywa told the Daily Dispatch that only two classrooms had been left intact during the storm, which touched down just 15 minutes after pupils were dismissed at the end of classes last Monday.
Zinc sheets were flung around the school yard by strong winds.
Lower Falakahla is one of the oldest schools in the area, having been founded in the 1940s. It has been operating from prefabricated structures it received as far back as 1982, according to Mcetywa.
“Luckily no one was around at the time. Otherwise I would have had to answer for a messy situation,” Mcetywa said.
The principal said staff had informed education authorities of the school’s plight immediately after the storm.
“It needs to be rebuilt from the ground, such is the damage. Our concern is that if it is not done before schools reopen in January, we might have no place to accommodate our pupils.”
Mcetywa estimated it would cost about R500000 to fix the damage.
“We have written letters over the years asking for a new school from government, but to no avail.”
Attempts to obtain comment from the Eastern Cape education department proved unsuccessful at the time of writing yesterday.
But provincial spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said last week the department had its own infrastructure development programme, which was run in parallel to the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, which is run by the national Department of Basic Education.
However, he said the government could not be expected to replace all mud schools and unsafe schools in one financial year.
The Dispatch also visited Msintsana village in the Taleni administrative area situated between Dutywa and Willowvale, where an elderly woman died as a result of last Monday’s storm.
The 60-year-old victim, Nokuphumla Galadla, a widow who had buried her husband in September, was killed when her mud home collapsed on top of her.
“Perhaps if she had lived in an RDP house, she would still be alive today,” said her brother-in-law, Baba Galadla.
Baba was the first person to rush to her home after noticing that one of her mud houses had been destroyed by the strong winds. A neighbour said she had seen Nokuphumla run into the house to escape the storm.
“I shouted her name but got no response…I saw a piece of her black garment, worn by widowed women to mourn the passing away of their loved ones.”
Baba and other relatives managed to dig out her body from underneath the rubble with their hands.
He told the Dispatch Mbhashe municipal bosses had visited their home and promised to help with the funeral of his sister-in-law.
However, Mbhashe municipality could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
Ward committee member in the area, Nomakwayi Mbawu, whose home was among those affected, said some people had lost their livestock during the storm.
She said they had compiled a list of about 142 houses that had been affected in the Taleni area.
“We will submit it to the municipality’s disaster section on Monday, so that people can be helped.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
School destroyed and widow killed in storm
Although the storm hit the area a week ago, the extent of the damage came to light only yesterday.
More than 270 of the 304 pupils at Lower Falakahla Junior Secondary School in Ngquthu village outside Dutywa were left without classrooms, as their zinc roofs were blown away.
Principal Fezile Mcetywa told the Daily Dispatch that only two classrooms had been left intact during the storm, which touched down just 15 minutes after pupils were dismissed at the end of classes last Monday.
Zinc sheets were flung around the school yard by strong winds.
Lower Falakahla is one of the oldest schools in the area, having been founded in the 1940s. It has been operating from prefabricated structures it received as far back as 1982, according to Mcetywa.
“Luckily no one was around at the time. Otherwise I would have had to answer for a messy situation,” Mcetywa said.
The principal said staff had informed education authorities of the school’s plight immediately after the storm.
“It needs to be rebuilt from the ground, such is the damage. Our concern is that if it is not done before schools reopen in January, we might have no place to accommodate our pupils.”
Mcetywa estimated it would cost about R500000 to fix the damage.
“We have written letters over the years asking for a new school from government, but to no avail.”
Attempts to obtain comment from the Eastern Cape education department proved unsuccessful at the time of writing yesterday.
But provincial spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said last week the department had its own infrastructure development programme, which was run in parallel to the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, which is run by the national Department of Basic Education.
However, he said the government could not be expected to replace all mud schools and unsafe schools in one financial year.
The Dispatch also visited Msintsana village in the Taleni administrative area situated between Dutywa and Willowvale, where an elderly woman died as a result of last Monday’s storm.
The 60-year-old victim, Nokuphumla Galadla, a widow who had buried her husband in September, was killed when her mud home collapsed on top of her.
“Perhaps if she had lived in an RDP house, she would still be alive today,” said her brother-in-law, Baba Galadla.
Baba was the first person to rush to her home after noticing that one of her mud houses had been destroyed by the strong winds. A neighbour said she had seen Nokuphumla run into the house to escape the storm.
“I shouted her name but got no response…I saw a piece of her black garment, worn by widowed women to mourn the passing away of their loved ones.”
Baba and other relatives managed to dig out her body from underneath the rubble with their hands.
He told the Dispatch Mbhashe municipal bosses had visited their home and promised to help with the funeral of his sister-in-law.
However, Mbhashe municipality could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
Ward committee member in the area, Nomakwayi Mbawu, whose home was among those affected, said some people had lost their livestock during the storm.
She said they had compiled a list of about 142 houses that had been affected in the Taleni area.
“We will submit it to the municipality’s disaster section on Monday, so that people can be helped.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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