The informal settlement was hit by exceptionally heavy rains last week, which led to the Johannesburg Emergency Services temporarily evacuating residents to the Ivory Park police station.

Currently, there is a pressing need for clean water, food, shelter as well as control and treatment of possible water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

Behind the shabby shacks of over 2 000 people, there is running sewage. There is also no electricity and only four water taps.

Gift of the Givers events coordinator, Allauddin Sayed, said: “This area is not healthy and I fear that these people might be at risk from water-borne diseases. People lost their groceries and clothes, but we are here to give them immediate disaster relief.”

Sayed said they went to the informal settlement to determine the immediate needs and to provide temporary relief.

“Now that we’ve seen the situation, we will have to come back on Wednesday to give people soup and bread, distribute more food and clothes, especially to the elderly people and kids, as well as nappies,” he said.

Nkosi Ncube, 41, recalls the heavy rains: “It was very bad. Our shacks were flooded with water and together with other young people, we evacuated people who were trapped in the flood waters inside the shacks.”

Among the rescued was pensioner, Adam Lucas Molapo, 92, and his wife, Tryphoster Molapo, 77, who hails from Sekhukhune in Limpopo.

Shortly after receiving the food parcels, Molapo said: “All I want is to be moved from this area because when it rains, we don’t sleep because our shacks are always flooded.”

His sentiments were shared by 47-year-old Siphiwe Khoza: “I am grateful for the donation, but I can’t wait to be moved from this area.”

A social worker from the Ivory Park police station, Anna Matjila, said she was delighted that food aid finally poured in for the destitute flood victims.

Community leader Isaac Nyalungu said there were more people in need of food, blankets and other basic household needs.

He said out of the more than 2 000 staying at the informal settlement, just over 700 were South Africans, while the remaining were from neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 

“We are faced with a huge problem and we still have more people who need help in Baghdad and Tokyo informal settlements and I hope that the only way to address this problem would be to move all these people out to a more safe area,” he said. - BuaNews