BY PHESHEYA IAN KUNENE
MBABANE – The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), has stepped forward to assist five families with recovery following the devastation caused by a hailstorm last week.
At the weekend, the disaster management organisation visited five homes situated at Mtfongwaneni under Gundvwini Inkhundla, where they provided the affected families with roofing materials to renovate the roofs of their homes which were severely damaged in the storm that swept through some parts of the country last week Wednesday.
Led by the area’s Member of Parliament, Nathi ‘Mdockies’ Hlophe and NDMA CEO Victor Mahlalela, the team has donated essential roofing materials, including zinc sheets, lumber, tents and nails. Mahlalela said they would visit more families in all the affected areas as their effort focuses on restoring homes in all the severely affected areas such as Ntfonjeni, Malindza and Mafutseni.
“The devastation at one of the homes was truly heart-breaking because the hailstorm severely destroyed their only house and left the family homeless, we acted fast and provided them with a tent before coming back with the roofing material. The most urgent need for many families was repairing the damaged roofs of their homes, we are still going to visit more families,” Mahlalela said.
Hlophe thanked NDMA for their swift response and thanked Mtfongwaneni residents for their support as they identified and assisted the affected families.
“We visited the affected families and wanted to ensure we did our part to help these families feel safe and secure by ensuring they had a solid roof over their heads,” Hlophe said.
One of the families selected for assistance includes an elderly woman, Tigcebe Dlamini, who sincerely thanked the MP and NDMA for coming to her rescue. She said she can now rest more peacefully knowing the roof of their home would be restored. The overwhelmed elderly woman said words would not be enough to describe her joy and relief.
Mkhulu Ndzinisa also thanked the organization as he said his house’s roofing was blown away leading to his furniture being damaged.
