A trip to collect money from a piece job ended tragically for a Limpopo man when his son, who accompanied him, was swept away by flood water.
Takalani Munyai, 60, said he is devastated as his son Lindelani, 22, has not been found since the Sambandou River in Vhembe swallowed him on Tuesday.
Vhembe and other northern parts of the province have been lashed by rains in the past few days, which have left a trail of destruction in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. At least 19 people have died this week.
Munyai and his son were trying to cross the Mutale bridge into Mangaya when tragedy struck.
Lindelani’s older sister, Tshifiwa Ndanduleni said, as they were crossing the bridge, her father slipped into the water.
“Lindelani followed my father in an attempt to rescue him. They reached for a branch and held onto it but they were trapped. My father swam out and went to look for people who could help Lindelani. Unfortunately Lindelani was overpowered by the water.”
By Thursday morning, rescuers had not found him.
Ndanduleni said the family is heartbroken.
“Police said there is not much they can do because the river is full and the rain is heavy.”
The family appealed to anyone who stays in villages near Mutale River to be on the lookout.
Lindelani had started a new job in Johannesburg four months ago and was on a break when disaster struck.
His older brother, Emmanuel Matamba, said he supported his father financially. He matriculated in 2024.
Meanwhile a four-year-old child went missing while several others people had to be rescued by helicopter from trees in the waterlogged Mopani District in Limpopo yesterday.
Mopani District municipality spokesperson Odas Ngobeni said the child was swept away at her home while her parents were evacuating after heavy rainfall at Mbaula village.
He said a team of divers has been requested and would be conducting the search and rescue operation.
Trapped on the ‘island’
Some residents of Greater Letaba municipality in ward 25 told Sowetan the flood had left them stranded and that they had been separated from other villages.
Buqa village headman Malekutu Rabohale said his community has been left looking like an island, as the two bridges connecting the village were swept away.
“We are trapped because we can’t travel and there is nowhere we can go to get basic needs. For the past two days there has not been a bakery or taxis because the bridges, which were shoddily built, are now gone,“ he said.
Rabohale added that the incomplete Meetsi-a-phepha river bridge was supposed to have been completed by now.
“We have been pleading with the government to fast-track the construction of the bridge, which was supposed to be completed in six months but has gone beyond. We anticipated that during the rainy season we were going to be stranded, but our plea fell on deaf ears,” he said.
Another resident, Masilo Selamolela, has called on the government to fire the company behind the construction of the bridge.
Mopani mayor Pule Shayi said the rain has already caused extensive damage to road infrastructure in most parts of the district, with most rivers overflowing and some houses around Giyani reported to be waterlogged.
“The team is on high alert to provide rescue operations and to co-ordinate support to the affected communities. However, we want to urge our people to remain extra vigilant, avoid crossing rivers and streams and stay away from power lines,” he said.
Sowetan
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