Thunderstorm leaves trail of destruction

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 27, 2007 00:00

 

The traumatised villagers panicked when about 28 goats were struck dead by lightning. The trail of destruction marked an abrupt end to the residents' joy about the rains. The storm ripped off roofs and brought down walls and killed several chickens.

A gravel road linking Senyawe and Butale was washed away and made impassable. Two small stock farmers, Fordy Mosokomane and Andrew Machaka told Mmegi they lost about 28 goats. About 15 of the 24 goats lay dead in a disused one-roomed house on Sunday morning.

Fifty-year-old Mafoko Towe was left homeless after the storm blew away the roof of his eight-roomed house. The retrenched former Botswana Railways employee said he is still in shock. He said the storm started on Saturday afternoon with fierce and strong winds moving at high speed from the east.

'Everything darkened momentarily as a deafening thunder reverberated across the village. The whole house was suddenly coloured white, red, green, indigo, blue and many colours,' Towe says. At that moment, the roof of his house was rattling 'like nails were being removed one-by-one from the planks holding them to the wall'.

'All of a sudden, I and my family were smeared with mud and sand. We watched helplessly as our goods were destroyed by rainwater. Wardrobes, dressing tables, beds, two television sets, fridges, sofas, dining set-a table and chairs, have been destroyed,' says Towe.

In a state of confusion, he watched the 40 iron sheets from the roof of his house blown off. The scene outside his yard looked like the workshop of a careless tinsmith.

Towe's house was completed in 2005 after he spent P50,000 on it. It was partly financed through the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) scheme from the North East District Council (NEDC). It was recently wired and he was only waiting for the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) to conduct the requisite inspection.

The storm blew away everything from the walls of the house including electric wires and piled them in the thickets. As a Christian family, the Towes do not think the thunderstorm was the work of jealous people. 'We are not bewitched. May be the house's electrical connections were not earthed well and hence it attracted lightning,' he suspects.

But some villagers, who had visited the Towes, were insistent that the thunderstorm was the work of evildoers.

Senyawe-Butale councilor, William Tatosi of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) told Mmegi in Senyawe that they were doing everything possible to help the affected people. He was particularly touched by the plight of a destitute, George Motlhabane whose one-roomed house had no roof after the storm. 'He was previously living in a tent which got torn and we assisted him with a delta hut before his church in the village built him a house which was unfortunately blown away over the weekend,' said Tatosi appealing for assistance on behalf of the affected villagers.