After the mudslide calamity, Tshepiso Ngubeni came dangerously close to losing his life. Melvin Stuurman, a survivor of the devastating mudslide that wiped out his neighborhood in Jagersfontein, Free State, recounted his ordeal by recounting how he hopped from one house to another. Approximately six o’clock in the morning, Stuurman, now 42, claims he was roused from sleep by what sounded like an open fixture.

 

“When I saw the grass was also flooded and there was no way out via the window, I used the drains to make my way to the roof. Now I can see that our neighbor’s house has begun to slide closer to ours “… he made some remarks. “In a flash, I was aware of my own motion. While I was on the roof of the house, it was swept away by the flood.” Stuurman expressed his desire to make quick work of things and then climbed onto the roof of a nearby residence.

“There was no clothing on me at all. My resources were exhausted, and that was all I had. I lost everything I owned “explained Stuurman, who cut his fingers and received lacerations to his thighs and abdomen. One of our relatives and the baby were able to escape the house thanks to my son’s efforts. There was sludge everywhere, and I couldn’t move. My physically challenged wife was confined to the bedroom.