Heavy rains that hit the Eastern Cape over the past two days have left pensioners at Thembalethu Old Age Home in Mdantsane in Buffalo City Metro without sleeping mattresses and blankets.

The rainfall resulted in flooding and extensive damage to the home.

The pensioners say the situation will have a detrimental effect on their health.

Thembalethu old age home houses 40 pensioners with different health conditions. The pensioners say the roof of the house is unable to withstand heavy rainfall.

Mdantsane’s Thembalethu Old Age Home pleads for assistance

Pensioner Nonkululeko Ngcengce says she fears that the current condition of the home places their health at risk. “This affects us badly because it is raining inside here, and we wake up soaking wet in bed. We are forced to sleep on other people’s beds, but that is not acceptable because these beds are small, they are single beds, but what can we do?”

Thembalethu Old Age homeowner Nada Gongotha fears that with more rainfall expected this week, the home may experience more damage.

“Because it’s such an inconvenience to congest them in one bed, they are going to infect each other, some are sick and very old and when they are congested, they get body pains and some are in diapers. Since the rain is now going to continue, we don’t know.”

Corene Conradie, a volunteer with the NGO Gift of the Givers, says they have donated blankets and mattresses as a temporary solution for the home.

“This current old age home has been victim of flooding quite often when there are heavy rains they are always affected, in the last few years, gift of the givers worked with Thembalethu old age home, and sadly they are not funded at the moment, they solely depend on the social grants of these elderly. After food purchases are done, whatever change is left, they have to use to try and do maintenance, which is really not a lot.”

The Buffalo City Metro was not available to comment on possible plans to assist flood victims in the metro.
But with more rain expected throughout this week, the Gift of the Givers says it will visit various areas in the metro to offer assistance.