Mohammed Jameel Abdulla, The Daily Vox

The extreme weather conditions gripping the country this winter are also exposing the country’s faultlines. We’ve had hail storms, floods, tornadoes and landslides but there is, and has always been, a distinct pattern to who is affected by these conditions. The poor, especially those living in informal settlements, bear the brunt of facing hazardous weather conditions and natural disasters.

Shack-dwellers movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM) lost two of its members on Monday 25th July, during a landslide caused by the storms in eNsimbini, a settlement near Durban. The deceased, Nkosinathi Raphael Myeki and Ntombifuthi Prudence Sithole, were trapped beneath their collapsed shacks, rubble and debris. Their bodies could only be recovered on Tuesday after residents worked throughout the day digging in search of them. Thembani Ngongoma, an ABM spokesperson, told the Daily Vox that many were traumatised by the loss of life on Monday and that a mass gathering was currently taking place to decide on a way forward. Continue reading →