Heavy storm devastates families

ELIAS MOTSOALEDI – More than sixty families in Dikgalaopeng, Motsephiri, Jerusalem and Monsterlus villages outside Groblersdal within Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) were left devastated after their homes were destroyed in heavy storms that ravaged the area recently.

The Limpopo Department of Social Development, Sekhukhune district disaster management team together with the Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM) and EMLM’s political principals accompanied by officials visited the affected families to offer help they needed.

Some of the members of the families whose houses were destroyed in the heavy storm were admitted to local clinics and hospitals.

Yvonne Matsetele, an affected resident, said their grandfather and uncle suffered injuries during the mayhem and were admitted to Matlala Hospital.

Matsetele, who lives n a shack, said the storm was very heavy as everything happened so fast and that she also suffered an injury to her arm when she rescued a child to safety from a falling roof.

The disaster management team provided the affected families with blankets, mattresses and groceries as a temporary relief. Those whose houses were severely damaged were provided temporary makeshift shacks. The department committed to providing the affected families psychological and social support as well.

In wards 20 and 21, where Dikgalaopeng Primary School’s roof was blown away, 16 households were reported as affected while 48 households were destroyed in the Monsterlus area.

EMLM Mayor, David Tladi, promised they were not going to leave the affected families without providing them the relieve they needed.

SDM Executive Mayor, Stanley Ramaila, said that government would work together with the affected families to ensure that they ultimately got proper houses that ensured their safety.