By REGIBALD KANYANE
14 January 2025- More than 10 houses in Kgomotso village, near Taung, were destroyed by disruptive rains on Monday afternoon. Heavy rains driven by a tropical low-pressure system hit the area and left a trails of destruction and some individuals were forced to seek refuge from relatives and good Samaritans.
The Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsibly for Infrastructure, in Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM), councillor Itumeleng Mribe said the heavy rains caused significant damages.
“There was power outage due to the severity of heavy rains and more than ten houses were affected. However, the municipality has activated disaster management protocols and teams continue to monitor conditions in the wake of heavy rains.
“We advise residents to take precautionary measure. The roofs of those houses were blown away. Walls of others collapsed and we are busy doing assessment. We will also engage other stakeholders to ensure that those affected receive remedy to the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Gaoage Oageng Molapisi said the North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PMDC), working together with Municipal Disaster Centres said it remains on high alert for incidents of disaster across the province.
Molapisi said there is as disaster management teams are on the ground conducting needs and impact assessment following heavy rainfall that affected many parts of the province and damaged infrastructure, properties and possessions.
“North West province has experienced heavy rainfall in the past few days and the district municipalities that were largely affected included Bojanala Platinum and Ngaka Modiri Molema.
“Both formal and informal houses were damaged by the heavy rains including municipal infrastructure such as culverts, roads and bridges. Kromkuil bridge in Moretele has collapsed, scores of houses in Moretele, Rustenburg, JB Marks, Ditsobotla, Ratlou and Mahikeng Local Municipalities were flooded,” he said.
Molapisi further said roofs of houses at Mokgola in Ramotshere Moiloa and Ledig in Moses Kotane were blown away. He added that mud houses at Moshwaneng in Ratlou Local Municipalities were affected and faced possibilities of collapsing.
“Public amenities such as hospitals, clinics and schools were also not spared. Lehurutshe Hospital, Moses Kotane Hospital in Ledig and General Delarey in Lichtenburg are some of those which were affected. Bogosi Clinic and Primary School in Moretele was also water-logged.
“Mop-up operations are underway to bring all affected facilities back to full operation. We have directed coordination on the ground to assist affected residents and communities across the province. The provincial preparedness and response contingency plan have been developed and are being implemented,” he said.
Molapisi said various sector departments and municipalities have been briefed and activated in line with their roles and responsibilities, and they use their own resources to respond to emergencies/disasters incidents.
The Guardian 