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FATHER OF 2 CRUSHED TO DEATH AS HOUSE COLLAPSES

11/02/2023 09:16:00 Joseph Zulu

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MAGUGA – The result of the continuous downpour has claimed a life.

Msunduzo Mvila, a 50-year-old man, went to sleep on Thursday evening but he never woke up the following day.
This is because he was crushed to death as he slept inside a house around a place known as Tebetebe near Ngowane.
The place is also part of the Maguga area and near Madlangampisi.

For nearly a week, Eswatini has been experiencing heavy continuous rains. This is said to be affecting not only roads, but also houses such that some are beginning to collapse, posing a danger to occupants. This is also the same rainfall that is said to be affecting other African countries including Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and some parts of South Africa (SA). According to his sister, Nomphumelelo Manikela, Mvila was visiting her home when the tragedy happened. She said he often visited her but did not live with her. She said on the day of his demise, he told her that he was heading home but changed his mind. She said he decided to spend a night in a house where he normally slept in.

Collapsed

Manikela said she did not know the reason her brother decided to change his mind about leaving, such that she was not even aware he was sleeping inside the house that collapsed on him. “We went to sleep unaware that there was someone sleeping in the house that collapsed,” she said. She also said no one was able to tell what time the house collapsed or how her brother died because they were asleep when it happened. Manikela said no one heard when the house callapsed. She said the house may have collapsed around 7pm or slightly but no one knew the exact time.
Manikela said she had noticed that the house was tilted but did not think that it would collapse.

Concern

She also expressed concern that even the house she used had a similar problem and that she was now worried it could also cave in on her like the one that killed her brother. Manikela then revealed that her brother was discovered by some children as they were preparing for school. She said the children first noticed only his feet showing, with the rubble covering the rest of the body and realised something was wrong.They then reported this to the elders who quickly decided to check what was going on, only to discover that Mvila was lying dead under the rubble.

Rubble

Sifiso Magongo, who is a community police member in the area said he was called as soon as the family discovered that the house had collapsed and that someone’s body was buried under the rubble. He said the call was made to him at around 5am.Magongo said he quickly went to the area where the incident happened so that he could assist, hoping that maybe Mvila was only trapped but alive. However, his hope of finding him alive was shattered when he discovered that he had died. He said he called police officers from Pigg’s Peak Police Station and that they also communicated with the ones in Buhleni. However, the police failed to arrive from both Pigg’s Peak and Buhleni. This was due to the bad state of the roads. The area where Mvila died can be accessed from either Buhleni or Pigg’s Peak.

Inaccessible

Magongo said the road from Pigg’s Peak was inaccessible but the one from Buhleni was still not usable. However, the police did not arrive, citing that the bridge that they were supposed to use from Buhleni had been flooded.
Meanwhile, Magongo warned that more houses would collapse, adding that some houses in the area were not stable.

Injured

He said already, three houses had collapsed including the house that killed Mvila. He said one of the houses collapsed and slightly injured the owner while the third one collapsed in the morning when everybody was outside.
Magongo said considering the situation, more houses were likely to collapse and that they were on the lookout to assist. He said the concern was that should these unstable structures collapse, it would be difficult for emergency personnel to reach the area if anyone was injured.

He also said even houses that were properly constructed were at risk of collapsing because the rains were making them unstable. It is not only around Tebetebe that a house collapsed. Another house at Mangwaneni in Pigg’s Peak also collapsed. This was confirmed by the family member at the homestead where the house is situated. No one was injured. Ntombi Mtetwa, whose house is constructed using stick-and-mud, said the roof caved in due to the continuous rainfall. She said luckily, no one was harmed.

Warned

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the death. During the week, the police also warned members of the public against crossing flooded rivers on foot or on board vehicles of any kind. However, this has not stopped the members of the public from driving their vehicles across submerged bridges, without the knowledge of whether the bridges were stable or not. In 2021, a soldier drowned as he attempted to cross a bridge submerged in an overflowing river. The incident took place at Nkomazi River.