Athlone residents left to fend for themselves after devastating floods
Property owners Sadia Benjamin and Shenaaz Dramat feel abondoned and uncared for by authorities.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Floods have forced residents to unpack their clothes and dry them.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Residents Shenaaz Dramat is furious over lack of assistance from the authorities. Her house was flooded and most of it's contents were ruined.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Residents of Martin Luther King Street in Belgravia, Athlone, say they feel ignored and abandoned after heavy rains flooded their homes earlier this week.
On Thursday, July 17, some residents were still sweeping water from their homes, while others nearby were attempting to rebuild damaged informal structures. Many said they had received no help from insurance companies, aid organisations, or local authorities.
Shenaaz Dramat, a resident, said: “It is difficult, not easy. We are uncomfortable. We are disgruntled and angry as human beings. Services go to the squatter camps, but we also empathise with them. We also want a cup of soup. We won’t say no, thank you. We also need blankets.”
She said water damage to homes was extensive. “All plaster is soaked, carpets are soaked, most house contents are ruined, and beds are wet, so we had to sleep on floors,” she said.
Residents claim they have been raising concerns for weeks but have received no response.
“There are a lot of pensioners in this area. We all got affected, but everybody just passed with help to the other areas. It is bad for us. We are feeling disgruntled. There are a lot of emotions here. We felt dissatisfied with all the things happening. My neighbour’s floors have been lifted up since last year. All our stuff is drenched in water. The human factor has been taken away from us because we are property owners. That human factor is gone, taken. But we are also disadvantaged,” said Ms Dramat.
She added that insurance companies were refusing to pay out, and were treating residents as though they were responsible for the flooding.
An angry-looking Sadia Benjamin, said the community had been left to start again from scratch, but for that to happen, the rain will have to stop.
“We have to start our lives all over again. We look at poor people here. But we are forgotten people. We have big water projects happening here in winter. But they are not part of us. Why? They would rather go out to give soup to others, leaving us behind. We also need services here,” she said.
With more rain forecast in the coming days, residents say their situation may only worsen.
Attempts to reach local councillor Aslam Cassiem for comment were unsuccessful.