Distraught families still searching for loved ones after KZN floods

Houses destroyed by floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

2 minutes

Victims of Durban’s floods are still mourning the loss of their loved ones, while others are yet to retrieve the bodies for burial. The Mhlongo family lost their mother, Zondeni Gcabashe, who was swept away in Tuesday’s floods at Lamontville township, south of Durban.

Gcabashe’s daughter, Ntombikhona Mhlongo, says it is painful to live without her mother and her greatest wish is to retrieve the body so that they can bury her with dignity.

There are 47 households that have been moved to emergency residential areas including the Mhlongo family.

She says she is devastated as her mother’s body is still missing.

“We are still waiting, and we hope that everything will go in the right direction to find my mom, that is the top priority at the moment. We call on everyone who can help us with the means of finding her to come forward and they are welcomed.”

Residents in KwaZulu-Natal are starting to piece thier lives together after the heavy downpours this week. Six people who were washed away have been found and the seventh is still missing in Durban.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/cYEDrGgeLJ

— Mlondi Radebe (@mlondiee) February 27, 2025

VIDEO| So far, the floods in KZN have claimed 11 lives:

Another relative, Jabulani Mdluli, says it has been three days without knowing where their relative is.

“At this stage, we cannot describe how much pain we feel as my sister-in-law hasn’t been found, and it has been three days now. For us to be in this situation, it puts us in a very awkward position as the rest of the family and everybody has been asking for an update, and we have been looking and nothing has been found,” says Mdluli.

According to Mdluli, the government has not done justice in terms of providing the victims with a safer alternative accommodation.

“The government has been preaching that people must not build their structures next to the rivers in low lying areas, but if you look at the place where these people were staying, it tells you that even the government itself doesn’t do what it is always preaching because temporal structures are next to the river and it put them in a very dangerous situation. At this stage, we are very unhappy, but we are hoping that we will find her,” he adds.