Table of contents for 2022-04-20 in Post

KWAZULU-NATAL teeters on the brink of another disaster. So say health experts who have warned that the after-effect of the recent floods could provide a breeding ground for waterborne diseases like cholera, and hasten the further spread of Covid-19. On Tuesday, Joe Phaahla, the Minister of Health; his deputy, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Nomagugu Simelane, the provincial MEC for Health, toured various health facilities in the eThekwini Municipality to determine the extent of the damage. The department said 84 facilities in the province were affected by the floods, while some were inaccessible by road and others had no running water. “When things are like this, from infection control it’s quite a risk,” said Phaahla. The South African Medical Association (Sama) also warned that water to health facilities should be prioritised.…

Jordache Kittensamy believes his mother and two sisters were taken by God to fulfil a greater purpose. Around midnight last Monday, Neena Kittensamy, 63, and her daughters, Sharal, 39, and Natasha, 26, died when their home in Forfar Place, Bonela, caved in while they were asleep. The sandbank behind their property had collapsed. This resulted in a mudslide. It crushed the back wall of their home and the roof above the three bedrooms caved in. Their bodies were later found by search and rescue workers. Sharal was found first and her mother and sister about three hours later. Kittensamy, of Hillary, said: “There are no words to describe the pain we feel. My mum and sisters were incredible human beings. They were selfless and kind-hearted. They were not of this…

KETANJI Brown Jackson will soon assume her seat as the 116th justice of the United States Supreme Court after being confirmed by the US Senate. Importantly, she will be the first woman of colour from a minority group, since the days of slavery, to be appointed as a justice to the highest court of the land. Thurgood Marshall was the first man of colour to be appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1967. But her appointment, with all the pomp and pageantry associated with it, has relevance for women, especially minorities, around the world. In the patriarchal society that we live in, despite the veil of freedom and equal rights that women are considered to have in most societies, her appointment rings with significance and value. Her appointment matches…

WHILE the full extent of the loss of life and property and the damage to infrastructure from the floods that occurred last week will be finalised in due course, such flooding in KwaZulu-Natal is not exceptional. Twice in the past floods have occurred in April. The first recorded occasion was in April 1848. Between April 13 and 15, 1856, the Natal coast received 650mm of rain according to reports in the Natal Mercury of April 18 and 25, 1856. Whereas previously the uMngeni River meandered into the Indian Ocean to the south of its present entry point, the volume of water caused it to straighten its course demolishing everything in the Springfield Flat. The Isipingo Flat suffered a similar fate and was described as having become a lake. Pioneer settler…

With Erik Ten Hag being closely linked with the full-time Manchester United managerial role, there is no doubt that there will once again be rumours of a squad overhaul at the end of the season. Every year, there are reports of the same thing happening and that “this will finally be the season United returns to its former glory” before that ends up not happening. Instead, there are one or two signings while the players who are consistently out of form and surplus to requirements end up staying. How long did it take the club to eventually sanction a loan for Anthony Martial? Phil Jones has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for years yet he is still on the books. Another reason why United have struggled…

‘Angie’ is a famous song by legendary rock band The Rolling Stones. Scottish warrior Drew McIntyre will be rocking to this famous song as September 3 draws near. The 1.96m and two-time WWE champion has two reasons to. Firstly, the WWE will hold their first stadium event in the UK in more than 30 years at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. McIntyre, who was born in Ayr, can expect overwhelming support from the 75 000 fans. The 120kg sports entertainment star is set to take on Roman Reigns. The latter is the Universal champion (holds both Smackdown and Raw belts). Secondly, his 2m sword, a close companion when he enters the ring, is named after his mother Angela, who died in 2012. She encouraged her son to never give…

ARIES (March 21 – April 19) This is a week to take control of your actions. You are being reminded that you are in charge of your decisions and the outcome thereof. You are also being asked to leave guilt behind you. You are not responsible for other people’s reactions. Lucky colour: gold. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Things are falling into place for you, but you are being asked to keep pushing forward. Success is around you with regard to work or a project. However, you may need to wait for recognition for this. Don’t let this prevent you from being proud of your efforts. Lucky colour: green. GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) Try to find balance, especially by not overthinking things. There may be…

Residents in Clare Estate are on high alert to prevent land invasions. The recent rains washed away homes in Quarry Road. While some of those affected were given temporary shelter at a local church, not everyone could be accommodated. With little support from the eThekwini Municipality, some of those who lost their homes, tried to build on privately owned land on Membrey and Spencer roads. As a result, residents in the area have been patrolling the streets. According to one resident, last Thursday a group of people arrived at the back of his property, cleared the bushes and marked the area. “I am elderly, so I sought help from the community. They called the municipality’s land invasion unit and managed to get the group off my property. Through our communication…

LA MERCY businessman Bobraj “Ronnie” Gopipershad wanted to visit his daughter Jessica for Sunday lunch last weekend. However, she told him it was raining too much and it was not safe for him to drive in the storm. Last Monday night it was still raining heavily when he climbed into bed. Hours later he was dead. The storm had loosened a boundary wall on his neighbour’s plot and the structure tumbled down on to Gopipershad’s house. Jessica said a destitute man, who her father had given a place to sleep, was the only other person in the house at the time. When the man heard the noise he ran to help Gopipershad who was covered in rubble with only his feet sticking out. She said her dad told the man…

THE lead story “Hope washes away” (POST, April 13-17) has left many people weeping over the number of people who died in the floods. This Easter was a time of deep sorrow. Some families were swallowed by sand banks, and collapsing walls and houses were washed away. It was heart-warming to see communities stand together in times of need. Community activists, relief organisations and religious institutions have rallied to help those hardest hit. It was sad to see the river next to the Hindu temple in Chatsworth burst its banks, leading to the religious building being submerged in water. Sadly, this happens every time there is a flood. What got people talking is that in spite of so much water in the temple, the idols were left intact. This is…

THE last few days were auspicious for the major religions practised in South Africa. Hindus celebrated the birth of their deity, Hanuman, who dedicated his life to the fight for good over evil. Jews celebrated their freedom from slavery with Passover. Christians commemorated Easter, remembering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and their belief that he arose from the dead. Muslims were in the midst of Ramadaan – a month of spiritual cleansing. But, given the loss of life and devastation the floods had caused, the existence of God has been questioned. Eusebius McKaiser, a political analyst and writer, raised a question many would have pondered: “If God exists, why didn’t he or she or they prevent the hundreds of deaths in KwaZulu-Natal over the past few days? It doesn’t make…

ON Good Friday, Mervyn Govender turned 51. There would have been a family celebration at his home in Isipingo Beach. Instead, Govender and his kin found themselves displaced. They lost everything they owned to the floods that ravaged the province. “No one plans to lose their whole life in one day and still live. We need to now start from scratch. As I talk to you we are staying with family. We are still fortunate, but we are also inconveniencing them. “Added to this, our community is still without water and electricity services. And there are many others in the same situation like us in Isipingo. So although the floodwaters have subsided and we are trying to pick up the pieces, people continue to suffer.” Govender is the manager at…

With all the flooding and damage, fishing is not the highest priority. Before the massive rains, the fishing was on a real high. After the devastating floods that hit Durban last week, we all need to proceed with caution if we are to venture out. This is particularly important if you are going to launch your boat. There is a lot of debris floating on or just below the surface waiting for an unsuspecting boat. Please be careful out there and rather go too slowly than too fast. This also applies to those venturing on to the beaches. There is plenty of danger on the beaches, so just be careful. The offshore fishing has been fantastic in the last few weeks with plenty of gamefish to keep anglers happy. The…

Former tennis world number one Ash Barty has added fuel to speculation that her post-retirement sporting career will focus on golf by signing up for a series of exhibition tournaments featuring 23 other celebrities from the world of sport. Barty, who retired at the age of 25 last month, will represent a rest of the world team captained by Ernie Els against a US team led by another major winner, Fred Couples. The first event in the Icons Series will take place at Liberty National in New Jersey in June with further tournaments planned for Europe, Asia and Barty’s native Australia. Among the others involved in the series are soccer’s Pep Guardiola and Harry Kane, multiple Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, boxers Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya as…

THE landmark Spice Emporium building in Durban’s Pine Street will close at the end of the month after 35 years. Also known as Haribhai’s, the Spice Emporium has been a tourist destination and go-to supplier for spices, grains and vegetarian foods from India and across the world for decades. Mira Harie, whose great-grandfather started the original family business more than a century ago, said they had sold the building a few years ago and that it was finally time to leave. “We are so grateful for generations-long support,” she said. Harie said that they were one of a handful of multigenerational family-run businesses in Durban and had enjoyed that support network for years. She would miss it. However, while the physical branches in Pine Street and Gateway would be closed,…

Preshen Ponen will always remember seeing the bodies of his loved ones slumped in a van. His uncle, Kevin Moonsamy, 42, and brother, Shogan Julian Ponen, 34, both from Sandfields in Tongaat, died when Shogan’s van was lodged in a tree during a storm last Monday. Moonsamy was a supervisor at a private security company and Shogan was a fabricator at a steelworks company. “My uncle was unwell and he went to the clinic in the Tongaat CBD. When he was done, he called Shogan to pick him up. By then, the rain began pelting down and the water level on the roads rose quickly,” Preshen said. “My mother called Shogan and told him the house was flooded and the water was rising. He said he would be home soon.…

WHILE residents attempt to make sense of the floods that wreaked havoc across KwaZulu-Natal, it appears that the signs of impending doom had already been evident in the skies. Mahesh Bang, a Vedic astrologer, said a rare phenomenon which had occurred over the past two months was an early indication that trouble was looming. He said six planets changed their zodiac signs within a space of 45 days which was unusual as each planet usually did so at its own pace. Bang said this was a portent of the severe weather conditions in the province. “Astrologically, there are nine planets that affect human life the most due to their strong gravitational pull. These planets have different speeds and revolve around the sun in 12 zodiac signs,” he said. Bang said…

THE flooding in Durban is dire, and reports indicate that hundreds of people have died and thousands directly affected. Several months’ worth of rainfall has fallen in a day or so, and the effects have been catastrophic. The problem of floods in Durban is not new. Between 1980 and 2010, there were over 77 disastrous flood events in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces. The flood events can be categorised as disastrous when lives are lost, people are displaced, and property is destroyed. Floods have over the years become increasingly problematic, especially in the global south, because of high population density, land-use change, increased impervious surfaces, poor solid waste management and settlement of people in flood plains and wetlands. The advent of climate change has also led to an increase in the…

KIM Davis, a single mother of four, lost everything after her home in Mariannridge washed away, but she remains unshaken. She is grateful her son’s life was spared after the house they had lived in for 15 years collapsed while he was inside. “On Monday, a boundary wall collapsed on to Delron’s car. Then my neighbour’s house, which is situated on a bank, collapsed and crashed into our wendy house. The wendy house then slammed into our home and the building caved in.” She said Delron somehow managed to escape. “When I asked him how he was able to get out of the wreckage, he said God rescued him. He said God took him by the hand and pulled him out of the house. Nobody else was in the house…

Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh has been admitted to hospital in India after testing positive for Covid 19, his Indian Premier League (IPL) team the Delhi Capitals said. Marsh, who has played 32 Tests for his country, was one of a “few” people in the team’s “bio bubble” to test positive but the rest were asymptomatic, Delhi Capitals said. “The Delhi Capitals medical team is closely monitoring Marsh’s condition,” the team said in a statement on Twitter. “All remaining members of the bubble are currently in isolation in their respective rooms, and will be tested regularly.” Marsh will need to isolate for at least a week. He will miss the games against the Punjab Kings today and Saturday’s clash with the Rajasthan Royals. Those fixtures could be in jeopardy in any…