By Leah Falcon and Lilja Flohr
Build-up of plastic and rubbish in drains exacerbates the flooding through Kayamandi. Verschuur describes how rubbish can sweep through people’s homes causing extensive damage. Photo supplied by Love To Give
Severe flooding disrupted daily life in Stellenbosch and surrounding communities following heavy rainfall on Sunday 19 April. Kayamandi, the home of many people who work in Stellenbosch, was among the hardest-hit communities. The damage to roofs, walls and belongings that the floods left in their wake foreshadows the rainy season to come.
Many NGOs operating in Kayamandi have responded to the need for relief in the days following the flooding. Die Matie interviewed Hester Verschuur, Programme and Centre Manager of Love To Give, one such organisation. Verschuur explained how extensive rain affects Kayamandi. She said that “a big problem is that it’s built against a slope. So, when it rains a lot, water comes down from the top, and it just becomes a river.”
She said that the prevalence of rubbish in the area worsens the problem: “People throw out plastic everywhere and it blocks the drains.” Verschuur described how “all the plastic was going downhill through people’s home” before entering into the river running through Kayamandi.
Masixole Wellington Ngqubungu, a security guard at Stellenbosch University (SU), known to some from his presence on Instagram and TikTok, explains how “that Sunday, everyone was crying. Everyone was affected in their own way.” “The floods in Kayamandi affected almost everyone, but in different ways,” Ngqubungu explained. “For some people, the water came through the doors. For others, like me, it came through the roof.”
Enjelene Apollis, a single mother, and her son Isaac who is deaf. They are two of Love To Give’s beneficiaries who were affected by the floods. Photo supplied by Love To Give.
Ngqubungu and his family experienced the floods firsthand. Like many others in Kayamandi, he now has to navigate the immediate impact of the floods while trying to recover and rebuild. His biggest concern is that water leaked through the roof into his nine- and 15-year-old sons’ room, and soaked the beds and blankets. So far, they have been able “to dry the blankets, but the beds are still wet. The boys are sleeping on the mattresses now.”
While Ngqubungu has some damage to his roof as “some of the sheets fell off the shack”, he further says that his “neighbour lost almost his entire roof and is still struggling to replace it.”
Love To Give has been working to gather donations for affected residents. They are collecting clothes, food and blankets for the affected residents, as well as raising funds to help others rebuild. Verschuur emphasised the need for donations of warm blankets so that “if one is wet, at least you have one dry”. She also explained that donations of non-perishable foods that are high in protein like pilchards, tuna or peanut butter are also welcome.
Houses in Kayamandi have been flooded, resulting in damage to personal belongings and the structures of the homes themselves. Photo supplied by Love To Give
Apart from donations, Love to Give welcomes volunteers. Verschuur invites students to “come and visit and help feed the children, or work the garden”. She said that the “[people] in these communities appreciate encouragement so much – people journeying with them, coming to visit regularly. I think it’s just connection.”
