By Mbali Tanana and Luvuyo Mjekula
“It was like we were watching a movie.”
So said a group of car guards who witnessed a large tree falling on a white BMW on Allen Street on Wednesday afternoon.
Seconds after parking his white BMW 330i, Sabhi Shahzad and his two passengers were in shock as the tree fell onto the vehicle, smashing his rear windshield.
Still trembling from shock, the teary-eyed Shahzad said the municipality must account for the damages and trauma he and his passengers experienced.
The young driver was then whisked into a white Ford Ranger bakkie that was branded Roadside Rescue, a vehicle belonging to the tow truck company that towed his car from the scene.
Khanyisa Maqanda, 20, a car guard said: “The tree was swaying severely due to the heavy winds and just as that car had parked, it fell on top of it. We all just heard a big bang and the people inside were quick to jump out.”
The road was closed for a short while and a law enforcement officer from Makana Municipality could be seen directing traffic away from the incident. A tractor with a trailer was adjacent the fallen tree, while several municipal workers could be seen using chainsaws, chopping up the fallen tree and loading chunks of it onto the tractor.
Meanwhile, the strong winds reportedly also knocked down electric poles in various areas in Makhanda on Wednesday, leading to electricity outages in many suburbs.
On various social media groups, residents reported power outages in many areas in town.
Here are some residents’ comments on social media:
“Please note that most suburbs have lost power. The Electricity Department is aware and the standby electricians are busy investigating. Also, a tree has fallen across the road, onto a car, in Allen Street. The entire road is blocked – please avoid that area,” said a post on the Ward 8 Makhanda Residents group on WhatsApp.
“No electricity in the Military base,” said a ward 8 resident.
Another resident, also in the Ward 8 Makhanda Residents WhatsApp group, posted: “The strong wind is hampering progress. A few electrical poles have toppled over and some overhead lines have snapped. It will take some time to repair it all. They are making progress at least. No ETA available at this time.”
However, according to another post, power had been restored to other areas.
“Power has now been restored in Oatlands North, Somerset Heights, parts of the Kingswood area & Vergenoeg only. Only Eskom Direct customers in the township never lost power. Still off: Hill 60, West Hill, Industrial area, Waainek, Military Base, CBD, Oatlands, Cradock Heights, Currie Park, parts of Kingswood area, Sunnyside & Stones Hill.
Read a post on the Ward 4 service delivery group: “The Industrial area has just lost power again after they heard a bang.”
Makhanda braced for more bad weather as windy and cold conditions were forecast yesterday.
