Community unites for healing ceremony one year after Tongaat tornado

With June 3 marking a year since a tornado devastated Tongaat, the Naidoo Road Civic Association (NRCA) will hold a post-tornado ceremony and peace prayer over the weekend. 

It will be held in the spirit of unity, healing, and gratitude. 

The association extended the invitation to community members, partners, and well-wishers. 

NRCA chairperson Suresh Ramsahai said: “In the aftermath of the recent tornado, our community has shown immense resilience, solidarity, and compassion. This event is an opportunity to come together in peace, reflect on our shared journey, and extend sincere thanks to those who supported and uplifted us during difficult times.”

He said that as a gesture of appreciation, the NRCA will present certificates of gratitude to individuals and organisations that played a significant role in aiding the community’s recovery.

“Let us stand together in peace, reflection, and hope,” Ramsahai said. 

Naidoo Road is in Fairbreeze, Tongaat. Ramsahai said the area was badly affected by the tornado, and people did not acknowledge the area until he went on the news. 

“We were hit very badly,” Ramsahai said. 

He said several sponsors helped them with clothing, and some rebuilt their homes, adding that the government did not help them. 

Ramsahai said he was renting a property on Naidoo Road when the tornado hit. 

“I lost everything, and I had to start from scratch. It was tough,” Ramsahai said. “I bought a damaged house on the road and had sponsors help me to build the place, and then I moved in there.”

The post-tornado ceremony and peace prayer will be held on Saturday, June 7, at 2pm on Naidoo Road, cul-de-sac. 

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) concluded that the tornado could be rated as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. 

The SAWS said at least two tornadoes were confirmed in KwaZulu-Natal on June 3. One of the tornadoes, called a “wedge” tornado because it was wider and larger than it is tall, resulted in severe damage in the Tongaat area. 

The thunderstorm that produced the tornado in Tongaat was confirmed to be a supercell, exhibiting a hook echo, although it lacked the typical rotational signature on the Doppler velocity field due to various radar data limitations.

The supercell features developed from around 3.30pm and dissipated at around 4.41pm, soon after moving off the coast. 

Several damage indicators were considered and used to assess the tornado impact around Tongaat and further down towards the coastline.

Considering these key indicators, the SAWS concluded that the Tongaat tornado could be rated as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with estimated wind speeds of 225 to 265 km/h that occurred within its path. 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za