/ 28 February 2006

Houses, shops flooded in Thabazimbi

Heavy rains in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, have caused several houses and shops in the town to be flooded, resulting in thousands of rands in damages, a municipal spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Segale Pilane said a municipal task team was on its way to the affected areas to assess the extent of the damage.

”Heavy rains since Monday night have seriously damaged houses and shops. We are going to assess the damage and will move people out of their houses to places of safety if the need arises,” said Pilane.

”We will be putting contingency plans in place. We are just awaiting reports on the extent of damages before we can do that.”

Pilane said the rain had subsided by Tuesday morning.

”The streets are no longer flooded and we have not received reports of flooding in surrounding areas.”

He said no fatalities or injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, a disaster-management team has been sent to Mpumalanga to minimise the effects of possible flooding after heavy rains, the provincial government said on Monday.

Local government and housing spokesperson Simphiwe Kunene said the disaster-management team would also determine if any disaster-relief aid should be sent to the area.

Municipalities in Standerton, Wakkerstroom, Amersfoort and Daggakraal had been advised to be on standby. — Sapa