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HEAVY RAINS DOWN HOUSE, GIRL INJURED

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MAPHUNGWANE - A girl (16) fractured her leg when a house fell on her while she was preparing to go to school on Friday morning.


The incident happened at Maphungwane area, a rural community located about 20 kilometres south-east of Siteki town.
Andile Maziya, a form I pupil at Mphundle High School, is currently receiving treatment at Good Shepherd Mission Hospital in Siteki, and her fractured right leg has already been covered in a plaster cast.


Andile is relieved after doctors reassured her that she would be able to walk again once she was fully healed.
The Maziya family told this publication that the house which fell on Andile was in a shabby state and that the heavy downpour, which was experienced in most parts of the country last Thursday, made it worse.


“The house was made of stick and mud and it is very old. In fact, nobody was sleeping in the house anymore because it is in a bad state. The children were now using the house as a makeshift bathroom,” said gogo Duduzile Maziya.


School


Meanwhile, narrating her ordeal, Andile said it was just before 6am, and she was preparing to go to school.
She said she entered the house with a basin full of warm water.


“I then decided to go out and when I pulled the door, the entire wall fell on me, knocking me to the ground. Part of the wall fell on my right leg, and I immediately felt excruciating pain,” said Andile.
She said she shouted for help and her grandmother and grandfather quickly came to her rescue.


screams


Neighbours also came rushing to the scene as her screams had reverberated across the community, Andile said.
Some community members called 977 paramedics, who promptly arrived but struggled to get to the Maziya homestead due to the bad state of the road.
Hence, community members had to carry Andile with a blanket to where the ambulance was, said a community member who was at the scene.
Andile said she was relieved that her injuries were not severe, adding that she was hoping to return to school soon.


Her grandmother, who was found by her bedside in hospital, also expressed relief that her granddaughter did not sustain fatal injuries.
She mentioned that Andile had one parent as her father passed away some years ago.
She said Andile’s mother resided in neighbouring South Africa, adding that she was yet to be informed about the incident.


Assistance


Gogo Duduzile used the opportunity to appeal for financial assistance from the public to pay medical costs.
“I have borrowed E70 from a Mobile Money agent, who is a neighbour. However, by the look of things, this money is not going to be enough. She has been admitted and the more time she spends here in hospital, the fees will increase,” she lamented.
Meanwhile, the heavy rains caused flooding in some parts of the country, especially in the capital Mbabane.


Two of the capital city’s main shopping centres; The New Mall and Swazi Plaza were flooded on Thursday afternoon following the heavy downpour.
Images of vehicles submerged in water and flooded shops were published in this newspaper on Friday.
The flooding has sparked a debate over the efficiency of the capital city’s drainage systems and disaster management plan.

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