Weeks after severe flooding displaced hundreds of families across Nelson Mandela Bay, residents in Missionvale report they remain without adequate support, with local leaders criticizing municipal response efforts as insufficient and delayed.
Richard Olifant, a Missionvale resident affected by the floods, stated he has “no one to turn to” as recovery efforts stall. For many families, homes remain unsafe for occupancy due to water damage and structural concerns. “Everything is just a loss because my freezer is broken. My stove fell off. Everything is just broken,” one resident described, highlighting the material devastation left behind.
Local leadership has voiced strong concerns about the pace and scale of official assistance. A ward counselor emphasized that residents should not face these conditions alone, noting that approximately 200 families were displaced during last month’s flooding. “We thought that the municipality would see the seriousness of basically coming in and cleaning up our areas, the cleansing department, the roads and storm waters coming to unblock our storm water drains,” the counselor said, adding that promised municipal support has not materialized in their community.
A local community leader, detailed the strain on emergency shelter resources. The Word of Light Ministries church served as a temporary shelter, accommodating roughly 35 families despite hundreds of elderly residents being affected across the area. “The assistance that we got from the municipality is disappointing. We only got 18 mattresses to serve 60 families. People had to share blankets in this center. People had to make do with the limited amount of resources that we received,” he stated.
Residents expressed frustration over what they describe as a pattern of unfulfilled commitments. “They make promises. They never come to follow up on their promises they making. So I’m still waiting for them,” one flood survivor shared, noting that while this recent flood was less severe than a prior incident, the lack of follow-through on aid has deepened community anxiety.
In response to inquiries, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality indicated that mop-up operations are ongoing and that a dedicated team will be assigned to support the affected communities. Officials have not provided a specific timeline for when comprehensive assistance will reach Missionvale households.
For now, families continue the arduous work of cleaning and repairing damaged properties while awaiting the promised support. Community leaders stress that without timely intervention in infrastructure maintenance—particularly stormwater drainage—vulnerable neighborhoods remain at risk as weather patterns shift.
