North West bus operators assess damage in bid to reach stranded Klipvoor residents
Heavy downpours have left the village cut off from the outside world with the only bridge connecting it to nearby towns completely submerged.
More than 90 families in Klipvoor Village, North West, have been stranded for three weeks now following devastating floods. Picture: Mongezi Koko/EWN.
JOHANNESBURG - As Klipvoor residents in the North West remain stranded after weeks of relentless rain bus operators are assessing the damage in a bid to reach them.
Heavy downpours have left the village cut off from the outside world with the only bridge connecting it to nearby towns completely submerged.
Surrounded by the Moretele River, alternative routes are scarce, leaving residents isolated.
Floodwaters, muddy paths, and a growing sense of despair characterize life in this small village.
Schooling has come to a standstill -as government-subsidised buses are unable to reach learners.
But the disruption goes beyond the classroom healthcare has also been affected with the elderly and chronically ill struggling to access the nearest clinic -- 10km away.
Community leader Lovers Mohlala said: “Rushing here, I got stuck. I still have to jump the river to get home. We don’t even park our cars at our homes anymore. When both bridges overflow, there’s no way to get through.”
City workers are scrambling to rebuild the damaged bridge and repair other roads, but for now, residents remain trapped.