FILIPO: SOME SCHOOLS CLOSED; ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONE BLACKOUTS

SITEKI – Some schools were forced to suspend classes and public services were grounded to a halt after the dreaded Tropical Storm Filipo left a trail of destruction to infrastructure and property in some parts of the Lubombo Region.

A large part of the region was also plunged into darkness and telephone blackouts as the storm ripped cables. The heavy rains and winds started on Tuesday evening and lasted until yesterday lunchtime. Rivers and dams were overflowing, blocking pupils and teachers from accessing schools. Meanwhile, other industries also halted operations to heed the warnings by the Eswatini Meteorological Department to ensure that they were safe. At Lomahasha, some rivers were overflowing, bridges were submerged, as witnessed at Mhlume and Tshaneni areas. Farmers cried foul as maize fields were flattened by the torrential rains and heavy wind.

Damage

A resident of Lomahasha, Bheki Matimba, said the damage to maize crops signalled a poor harvest this year. He also mentioned that some communities were left in the dark due to damaged electricity poles and that other families suffered damages to their houses. “The storm will have a negative impact on the lives of many residents of Lomahasha and surrounding areas. It is so disheartening that food security will be compromised even this year, due to such harsh weather conditions,” he said.According to a resident of Mhlume, they were informed that 16 electricity transformers were damaged by the rains, leaving communities like Mafucula, Tsambokhulu, Mhlume, Vuvulane and Maphiveni in the dark.

“We have had no electricity supply since morning and EEC is promising to restore power later. We are not sure when that will happen, as our children are starving,” said the resident.
In Siteki and surrounding areas, schools were also not spared, as some such as Mlindazwe Primary were waterlogged, resulting in lessons being suspended. In random interviews with pupils and school administrators, they collectively highlighted that the rains made it impossible for lessons to continue, as a majority of teachers and pupils were unable to reach their schools.

“We found no teachers at school and resolved to return home,” said one pupil of Good Shepherd Catholic High. Lubombo Central High School Head teacher Pilate Vilane said he suspended lessons after the notification by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) on Tuesday evening. Vilane noted that it was risky to allow pupils to continue with lessons under the precarious weather conditions. He said he had advised teachers and pupils, including parents to monitor the weather patterns today so that they could make an informed decision.

He stated that the storm had made learning difficult, hence it was important to protect the lives of teachers and pupils by ensuring that they remained at their places of abode. “It was a serious case, which required a collective collaboration between parents and teachers, to ensure the safety of pupils,” he said. Lubombo Regional Education Officer Richard Dlamini advised parents and head teachers to be vigilant and monitor the weather patterns today. Dlamini said it was important to save lives, hence if the weather continued to be harsh, parents should not allow their children to go to schools.  “My advice is simple, pupils and teachers should remain at home if the rains persist,” he said.

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