MONDAY NIGHT STORM LEAVES TRAIL OF DAMAGE

MBABANE – Disaster!

Monday evening thunderstorms left some Fonteyn residents’ houses, crops and churches damaged. The storm which lasted for almost an hour left some people without shelter, as the roofing of their houses was blown away by the strong winds.  Around Fonteyn, Destiny International Christian Church’s Reverend David Chaliyumba’s house roofing was damaged by the heavy thunderstorms. Churches such as Fonteyn of Life Anglican Church and Rock of Tabernacle were not spared by the storm. Fonteyn of Life Anglican Church’s roofing is said to have damaged neighbouring homesteads. A bottle store and two homesteads were affected after straying corrugated iron sheets fell on top of their roofing.

Affected

Other places such as Nsangwini, Luhlangotsini and Nginamadvolo are reported to have been heavily affected by the heavy storm. Also, Buhleni Police Station’s roofing was blown away.
Beds, food parcels, clothing, among others, were found soaked in water when some of the residents were visited. Some of the affected individuals told this publication that they spent a night in neighbouring homesteads. They said the thunderstorm caught them unaware. Also, trees and some crops were destroyed. Uprooted trees and electricity poles were found on roads in many parts of Mbabane.

Roofing

Meanwhile, Fonteyn of Life Anglican Church’s roofing was totally blown away. Some church members were found within the premises shocked at what had befell them. A woman who was assigned by Pastor Sigudla to speak on behalf of the church, said 35 children who were at the preschool had been forced to stay at home since they had no proper structure to continue their lessons in. The church spokesperson said they were shocked by the damage caused by the thunderstorm. She said stationery, chairs, electricity cables, as well as the entire roofing, were damaged. She further said the families who were affected by the straying roofing from the church had been advised to write letters of demand and submit them to the church for compensation.

Pastor Masuku of Rock of Life Tabernacle Church said approximately E20 000 to E25 000 would be needed to rehabilitate half of the damaged roofing. The man of the cloth said God had raised His hand by making sure that the damage was not severe. He said he drove all the way from Carolina, South Africa, to assess the damage after he received information that the whole roofing was gone. “I thank God for preserving His House. I am shocked that the situation is not the way it was reported to me. I used to see some houses on television roofless, not knowing that it will hit me as well,” said Masuku.

Prayer

Reverend David Chaliyumba said: “We are shocked. We were about to enter to the hour of prayer when the roofing was blown away. Two seconds after my daughter had left her room downstairs; we heard a huge sound coming from her room. We then discovered that her room had been damaged. We thank God that everyone is alive and well. My daughter would have died if she did not move out of her room,” he said. Regarding the cost of the damages, Chaliyumba said he would have the actual amount today once the quotation had been done, since the roofing, wiring, plumbing and ceiling were damaged.

Affected

On another note, Jabulani Mabuza, Pigg’s Peak Member of Parliament (MP) as well as Speaker in the House of Assembly, said some members of his constituency had been affected by the storm. Mabuza said windows and roofing to some homesteads were affected. He further said the storm destroyed crops. Mabuza said they would assess the situation on the ground, further stating that officials from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) were also on the ground to gather more information. “The condition is really bad on the ground. We appreciate the arrival of NDMA and Eswatini Baphalali Red Cross Society,” he said..

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