A teenage boy and four others were praying by a river near his home when they were almost caught in the tornado. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo Independent Newspapers
Durban — Leon Mkhize, a 15-year-old boy from Burbreeze in oThongathi, described how he and four others were almost caught in the tornado that spun through oThongathi on Monday afternoon.
Leon said he and four others were praying by the river, near Dudley Pringle Dam, when suddenly the sky became dark and cloudy.
“We prayed and it seemed as though the bad weather was passing. Then we cut the prayer. After cutting the prayer, we heard the sound of water flowing rapidly. It was loud,” Leon described.
He said they asked each other what the sound was, but when he looked up, he saw water circling above and they decided to run away.
Leon said they did not run far enough to reach their homes.
“We saw that it (tornado) was close to us and we couldn’t run further, it was pulling us back,” Leon continued.
“We ran into the sugar cane and held on to it.”
Leon said that while they were hiding they continued to pray.
“From there, we saw it and watched it destroy this whole place,” Leon concluded.
Other residents the Independent Media news team spoke to in oThongathi concurred with Leon that the tornado started by the river. They also said the incident lasted only a few minutes.
Zanele Buthelezi, 49, who had gone to check on Leon’s grandmother on Tuesday, said there were no reports of deaths in the Burbreeze area.
Buthelezi said the tornado blew away the first row of tiles on her roof and that resulted in water flowing into her home. She placed blankets and left.
She said the house was cold inside.
Buthelezi also said electricity went out immediately after the incident while water stopped flowing through their taps before midday on Tuesday.
Buthelezi pointed at an area by a hill and said they could never see beyond the trees near the river; however, the tornado had now exposed their neighbouring community.
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