An elderly flood victim is pleading with the government to relocate her family from the community hall they have been staying at since the April 2022 floods. File Picture: Tumi Pakkies Independent Newspapers
Image: Tumi Pakkies Independent Newspapers
An 87-year-old displaced flood victim, who has been living at the Jabulani Hall in Trenance Park, Verulam since the 2022 floods, says she is desperate to be moved.
The woman and two others were attacked in a brutal stabbing incident at the hall a few weeks ago.
The suspect, a 33-year-old man, was later arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder.
Speaking to The Mercury, Phumzile Mkhize, 87, recounted the harrowing ordeal of the attack on March 22.
“We were just sitting when this man, who stays with us at the hall and is not related to us, suddenly came in with a knife and a bottle of petrol. He attacked me, stabbing me while I pleaded with him to stop. As I cried for help, my daughter tried to intervene, and he stabbed her too. A security guard at the hall also tried to assist, but he was stabbed even worse than us,” Mkhize said.
The elderly woman described how the attacker then attempted to set her on fire. “He poured petrol over my head and tried to set me alight, but fortunately, the matches didn’t work. He then ran away. We eventually got help and were taken to the hospital.”
Mkhize said the suspect returned just two days later, this time wielding a machete and other men at the hall intervened and he was arrested.
She expressed her deep frustration over the prolonged stay at the hall, which houses three families, including her six-member household. The Human Settlements department has recently said it has been making progress on the permanent relocation plans for flood victims.
“We were displaced by the floods in 2022 and have been asking when we will be relocated because it is no longer safe here. But we are always told there is no land to build for us. No one is looking after us. All I want is to be moved from this place. I no longer want to live here.”
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed the arrest of the suspect
"Reports indicate that the victims were at Jabulani Hall when they were stabbed. The suspect was later arrested and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on 27 March. The case was remanded to 2 April 2025,” Ngcobo said.
When asked when these flood victims would be resettled, the KZN Human Settlements department said they needed to check on the matter with the municipality.
