A group of Hanover Park residents were left homeless after gale-force winds ripped through 15 homes, causing severe damage.
Panic spread across the Cape Flats community on Friday morning as reports of a tornado spread like wildfire on social media, after the roofs of several homes in Athry Walk and Phillans Walk were blown off.
Oupa Ebrahim Domingo, 91, says he got a skrik when he saw the sky turn dark and watched as the roof of his house disappeared.
“I was lying on the bed and I saw the cloud change to black and the next minute I saw the ceiling coming down and I covered my face. I looked up and saw the sky but where is the roof? Weg! It was raining and my children came to ask if I was alright,” said Ebrahim.
“It was a disaster and all my cupboards blew open, I don’t know why. This is the first time this has happened in the 53 years that I stay here. I knew about the disaster in Manenberg those years but never thought it would happen here.
“I had a bit of a shock but the ER paramedics came to check my blood pressure and sugar and said I am OK.”
On August 29, 1999, five people died and 220 were injured when winds reaching 150km/h hit maisonettes in Manenberg, and 5 000 mense were displaced.
Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the roofs of six properties were blown off and a further nine suffered extensive damage.
Around 130 people are reportedly affected while three people had minor injuries.
The City’s Disaster Management Centre coordinated services to assist the affected residents while Gift of the Givers as well as Blue Ribbon were also on hand.
Smith says that most of the homes were privately owned and only one was City rental stock.
“While the City cannot legally do repairs to private properties, we have assisted the residents with applying for relief through other channels,” he explains.
“The Human Settlements Department has already done an assessment in order to undertake repairs to the one City-owned property. Emergency Sheltering was activated at the AME Church in Hanover Park.
“Plastic sheeting was supplied to allow the residents to be able to protect their properties from further rain damage due to their damaged roofs.”
Claims of a tornado affecting the area could not yet be verified by the SA Weather Services.
If you are able to make a donation, call the Disaster Operations Centre on 021 597 6000.