A whole family is clinging to trees on a submerged river island right now, and the official response appears to be a shrug. Five people have been stuck on the Thekwane River in Ndolwane, near Plumtree, since Sunday. They were trying to get home after harvesting mopane worms, using a donkey cart to cross, when the water surged. The flood swept their donkeys away and left them stranded on a piece of land that was quickly disappearing. The villagers on the bank watching this unfold say the group, including adults and kids, is literally holding onto branches as the water keeps rising.
The people trapped are Lethiwe, Wiseman, Marylene, a fourteen-year-old named Bhorongi, and an elderly woman known as Gogo Na Trial. Locals have been desperately trying to get help for three days, reporting it to the police over and over. According to those on the ground, the police say they are waiting for the Civil Protection Unit, the CPU, to handle the water rescue. So nothing has happened. The situation is getting worse by the hour. Some of the stranded people need regular medication, and everyone is dealing with hunger and exposure. The community is basically keeping a helpless vigil, watching a potential tragedy in slow motion while the authorities point fingers about jurisdiction. This is happening amid widespread flooding from days of heavy rain across the region, washing out roads and bridges, which probably complicates any rescue effort but also makes the inaction even more glaring. The villagers are begging for someone, anyone with the right equipment, to move before it is too late.
The people trapped are Lethiwe, Wiseman, Marylene, a fourteen-year-old named Bhorongi, and an elderly woman known as Gogo Na Trial. Locals have been desperately trying to get help for three days, reporting it to the police over and over. According to those on the ground, the police say they are waiting for the Civil Protection Unit, the CPU, to handle the water rescue. So nothing has happened. The situation is getting worse by the hour. Some of the stranded people need regular medication, and everyone is dealing with hunger and exposure. The community is basically keeping a helpless vigil, watching a potential tragedy in slow motion while the authorities point fingers about jurisdiction. This is happening amid widespread flooding from days of heavy rain across the region, washing out roads and bridges, which probably complicates any rescue effort but also makes the inaction even more glaring. The villagers are begging for someone, anyone with the right equipment, to move before it is too late.
