Missing Mthatha teen Simbongile Kadeeja Nomntwana.
Supplied by family
The family of 16-year-old Simbongile Kadeeja Nomntwana is hopeful that they will find the remains of their relative.The teen went missing after the minibus taxi she was travelling in was swept away by the floods last Tuesday.Only three pupils were rescued after the ordeal.“We’ve searched every riverbank,every shelter,hoping for news. At this point,we just want to find her remains so we can bring her home and lay her to rest. Only then will we have some peace,” said a heartbroken Thandokuhle Dakana after searching every day for his missing niece.
Simbongile Kadeeja Nomntwana,16,went missing after the minibus she was travelling in,along with several other pupils,was swept into a river at the Decoligny village,near Mthatha,following severe flooding caused by heavy rains,last Tuesday.
Only three of the pupils were rescued after they managed to climb into a nearby tree on Tuesday.
The Eastern Cape provincial government on Sunday said the number of confirmed fatalities had risen to 88 as a result of the Mthatha floods. Of the 88 bodies where post-mortems have been completed,83 have been positively identified by families,and five are yet to be identified.
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Speaking to News24,Dakana,the 50-year-old uncle of the missing teen,said all they want is closure.
READ | Man recounts saving himself and mother with rooftop escape during severe floods in Mthatha
The teenager was last seen on Tuesday morning,according to her father,Mussa AjiDa,44.
“Her mother had asked me to leave bus fare for Kadeeja before I left for work,and I asked her why she was allowing the child to go to school as it was raining,” AjiDa told News24.
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He added that he left the bus fare,which was the last time he saw his daughter.
“We didn’t have electricity that day,so my phone’s battery was dead,but when I eventually switched on my phone at work around 11:00,I realised that Kadeeja had messaged me earlier to say that there was an issue by the bridge,and she had asked me to come and help her,” her heartbroken dad added.
By the time he managed to reach the bridge,the minibus had already been washed away by the floods.
He said his mind was racing,and he assumed while rushing to the bridge that maybe all they needed to do was save their children from the minibus.
AjiDa added:
When I arrived at the bridge,I could not even see the minibus; I couldn’t even see the houses; it was as if we were at sea,water everywhere.
“We are not sure how many learners were inside this minibus taxi,but at this stage,we know that our girl and another boy are still missing,” Dakana said.
Dakana said that since Tuesday,they have continued their search with the help of the Eastern Cape government,non-governmental organisations and disaster relief groups.
“It’s heartbreaking… every day,more bodies are found,but not our little girl’s. And each time we hear another has been discovered,we eagerly hope,only to realise it’s not her,[and] the pain cuts even deeper. It’s like losing her all over again,day after day.”
Dakana said on Saturday,he discovered one of four more bodies that were found at the river.
“I was hopeful that it might be that of my niece… but it wasn’t,” a clearly disappointed Dakana said.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu confirmed at the weekend that the number of deceased had risen,and those rescued remained at 38.
“Search-and-rescue teams are still on the ground recovering more bodies,” Mchunu added.
Head of the search-and-rescue team at the Humanitarian Aid organisation Gift of the Givers Foundation,Ahmed Bham,said they discovered the bodies of two men at Mthatha dam and one body of a woman near the dam wall in the rubble.
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The team was alerted to a fourth body on Saturday as well,Bham confirmed.
He added that it was encouraging to see how the community came out in numbers to assist in the search-and-rescue mission,looking for their loved ones.
The body of one of the missing people is retrieved from the Mthatha dam.
Supplied by Gift of the Givers Foundation
The body of one of the people who went missing during floods being retrieved from Mthatha dam.
Supplied/Gift of the Givers Foundation
“It helps a lot to have local knowledge,but it also shows the compassion and resilience of the community,” said Bham.
The foundation has dispatched 12 team members to assist with the recovery mission. These consist of a team from the Limpopo Department of Health,Cape Peninsula University of Technology,and volunteers.
Bham thanked local authorities and the SA Police Service for opening their doors to other rescue teams in the search for the missing.
To honour those who lost their lives,the province has announced it would hold a provincial day of mourning on Thursday,19 June,in Decoligny village.
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