/ 8 January 2002

150 HOMELESS AFTER RAINSTORM

MORE than 150 people were left homeless after a rainstorm in the small village of Frankfort near King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape on Sunday afternoon. e.tv news reported on Monday night that the storm lasted for half an hour, destroying 16 houses and leaving others with severe structural damage. Destitute residents were being sheltered in a classroom at a local school and disaster management authorities had provided tents, blankets and pillows for the residents. The storm caused power blackouts in East London and King Williams Town and caused a soccer match between Orlando Pirates and Bushbucks in East London to be abandoned. The Weather Service said the wet weather would continue for the next three days. – Sapa