Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Tuesday, June 24
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»NEWS»Health & Well-being»Severe winds wreak havoc on Makhanda townships
    Health & Well-being

    Severe winds wreak havoc on Makhanda townships

    Weekend storm causes widespread damage and electricity disruption
    Fahdia MsakaBy Fahdia MsakaAugust 3, 2023Updated:August 3, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The material from the roof laying in the yard.
    Nobuntu Nombombo's roof blew off in the storm. Photo: Fahdia Msaka

    By Fahdia Msaka

    Strong winds over the weekend of 29 and 30 April disrupted daily life, caused significant damage to properties, and posed serious safety problems for residents in Hlalani, Newtown Extension and Extension Six.

    Grocott’s Mail visited Nobuntu Nombombo at her home in Newtown Extension. Her harrowing experience began in the early hours of 30 April. Nombombo recalls, “We heard the roof flying off at 3 am on Sunday”. The force of the strong winds tore away the roof, leaving their home completely exposed. For the safety of her children and grandchildren, she evacuated to her daughter’s flat, located in the backyard.

    The roof that was blown of by the intense weather.
    Nobuntu Nombombo’s roof was blown off by the intense weather. Photo: Fahdia Msaka

    Nombombo and her family have been without electricity ever since. Now on their sixth day without electricity, they have contacted both Eskom and the municipality to reconnect them but have not yet been attended to. The family has taken it upon themselves to replace the damaged roof from their own pockets.

    Makana Municipality’s communications department said the winds had damaged infrastructure and left several areas without power.

    The ceiling damage inside the house that was caused by the intense weather.
    The ceiling damage that was caused by the intense weather, as viewed from inside the house. Photo: Fahdia Msaka

    “Reports of roofs being blown away, broken trees and cables have been reported locally and
    the municipality is trying to attend to the incidents as quickly as possible. In one of our
    substations, the roof was blown away. In a number of streets, trees have fallen over electrical
    cables, but the electricity department is currently clearing the trees” said the Municipality.

    Roofs had been blown away and power outages had occurred in Stones Hill, Sunnyside, Sidgefield, Nel, Fletcher, Oglivia, Fitzroy, Oatlands North, Rockridge, Industrial Area, Fingo Village, Curry Street, Joza, Vukani, Extension 6, and Worcester Street, the Municipality added.

    The municipality encouraged residents are encouraged to report electricity problems to Eskom on 0860 037 566 and municipality-related issues on 046 603 6111.

    Previous ArticleAlbany Museum launches restored Baines paintings
    Next Article Golden Eagles win under -19s Nelson Mandela Club Development Tournament
    Fahdia Msaka

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.