Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal International Business Association (Kiba) provided cleaning materials to flood victims in oThongathi on Monday.

OThongathi was one of many areas in the province to experience torrential rainfall that led to rivers bursting their banks and flooding many homes since Saturday.

The president of Kiba, Omie Singh said they provided relief to approximately 44 families living in the pensioner cottages in Plane Street, whose homes were damaged and were at times up to more than a metre deep in water.

Singh accompanied by pharmacist, Dion Mahabeer, and Kiba co-ordinator, Ronnie Veeran, visited the residents of the complex in central oThongathi to assess their immediate needs.

Singh said the complex was without water, and residents had no cleaning materials to clean their homes and tools to remove debris.

Residents were not able to commence mop-up operations.

Venisha Sabopathy of KZN Oils handing over cleaning materials to one of the residents in oThongathi, KwaZulu Natal. Picture: Supplied

Singh contacted Venk Pac to provide a water tanker to the complex and called for an urgent Kiba meeting that same evening. Veeran said water tankers from Venk Pac and the eThekwini Municipality arrived and filled their Jojo tanks and flow bins, making it possible to start cleaning their homes.

Veeran said in view of the urgency of the situation and the homes being flooded with sewage and stormwater, the meeting resolved to provide four different detergents, brooms, mops, scrubbing brushes, rags, scented sanitisers and 20-litre plastic buckets to all the families.

“The residents were overjoyed as they had no resources with which to start cleaning their homes. The items that were provided were donated by Esay Reddy of KZN Oils and Dion Mahabeer of D – Med Pharmacy. I want to thank them and my Kiba team for putting this together in under 24 hours,” concluded Singh.

The KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) spokesperson, Siboniso Mngadi, said disaster management teams were on high alert along the coastal areas of the province following the weather warning that has been issued by the South African Weather Service.

According to the warning, the coastal areas could experience severe flooding of roads and human settlements as a result of the heavy rains which are expected. The affected areas are the eThekwini Metro and the districts of Ugu, Ilembe King Cetshwayo and Mkhanyakude.

“Disaster management teams are on alert and will be monitoring routes that are prone to weather-related incidents,” Mngadi said.

The President of the KwaZulu Natal International Business Association (KIBA), Omie Singh addresses residents in oThongathi. Picture: Supplied

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