Ntsoaki Motaung
The heavy rains that poured excessively earlier this week left Mohale’s Hoek taxi rank in disarray.
Although no property belonging to vendors is reported to have been destroyed by the enraging rain, an alarm to fix the culvert has been flagged by the Disaster Management Authority (DMA).
According to the Public Relations Officer of the DMA Mahlape Koali, the tunnels that transmit water to underground were blocked which caused water to float, thus, flooding the taxi rank.
Koali indicated that the Authority has not received reports from the districts following the hefty rainfall on Monday except from Mohale’s Hoek district.
“We have no reports from the other districts on what happened to the districts following the heavy rains on Monday. We only have the reports from Mohale’s Hoek but it is also not complete because DMA in Mohale’s Hoek is still doing assessment and they only reported on what happened at the taxi rank,†she said.
The same sentiments were said by the District Administrator (DA) of Mohale’s Hoek, Bahlakoana Tšolo that there is no much damage caused by the heavy rains and that he received no reports.
“There were heavy rains that one would say it was a storm, however we did not receive any reports of people who died as a result of the rains which were exacerbated by strong winds. We have also not received reports of people who were left homeless after the heavy rains,†he said.
“Many people were still at work and most of street vendors were still at the taxi rank. They evacuated their different work stations, taking their equipment and stock to safety, that is why we have no cases of people who lost their equipment or goods,†he said.
He said the following morning; he found the Minister in the Prime Minister, Likopo Mahase at the taxi rank assessing the situation when he went to check the situation.
“As a way of avoiding such a thing to happen again because we do not know what will happen for the second time and how many people will be affected, the Minister in the Prime Minster’s Office instructed that the culverts be unblocked. And that was done by a local constructor,†he said.