Cape Town – A Durban woman, Ntombikhona Mhlongo, has recounted the heartbreaking moment her mother, Zondeni Gcabashe (60), was swept away by floodwaters in Lamontville on Tuesday night.
As heavy rain intensified around 11 pm, water gushed into their shack, leaving them trapped between a river canal and flooding streets.
Despite attempting to hold onto poles for safety, her mother, weakened by age, was washed away and remains missing.
“We had nowhere to run to because we were between a river and the flowing water on the street. We were trying to hold on to poles, but the water was too strong, and that’s how my mother and the others got washed away.
“It hurts that I was not able to save my mother,” she said during an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
Mhlongo expressed frustration, highlighting that this was not the first flood disaster in their area.
Having been displaced by floods in 2021 and temporarily relocated, she criticised the lack of action from local authorities despite previous warnings about the dangerous water flow.
A sad day! “My mom couldn’t make it”. One of the survivors of the torrential rains that battered Lamontville in KZN recounts how their homes were washed away on Tuesday night. #eNCA #DStv403 #QuestionThinkAct pic.twitter.com/C4nlgijWsH
— eNCA (@eNCA) February 26, 2025
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
