When it rains, it pours - that's the harsh reality that Nelson Mandela Bay residents had to face last weekend as they fought to save their submerged belongings.
Heavy downpours, although a welcome relief after damaging droughts, saw many residents forced to evacuate their homes and pile into community halls and churches.
EDongweni informal settlement in Kwazakhele township was one of the worst-hit areas. It is located on a low-lying surface, making its residents vulnerable to floods.
Phunyezwa Mvunyiswa, 32, a young mother of two girls, said most of their possessions were lost underwater.
"We slept on the cold floor in a community hall last night; our furniture, electronics, groceries and important documents were submerged in water. We need all the help we can get because I don't know how we're going to move on from this," she said.
Ward 19 councillor Gamelihle Maqula said the reason households were submerged was due to blocked drainage systems.
"This was not a flood. There has been heavy rain, but it's not a flood. What happened is that in one of the canals, the drains, where we cleaned last night, we found out that people have been dumping illegally on top of that drain," said Maqula.
"And the rubble was inside there, dirty bins were inside there, and all sorts of things were inside that drain."
The rain had negative effects on some of the residents, but it has made a significant difference in the drought-stricken city's dam levels.
NMBM executive Mayor Retief Odendaal excitedly shared on his Facebook page the news of an increase in the levels of Loerie Dam, a small balancing dam through which the water from the far bigger Kouga Dam is directed to NMB.
"Last Monday (the 8th), the dam level was sitting at 39,9%. Today it's at 94,07% and I'm confident that it will start overflowing soon! We are super excited and grateful for this inflow!" he wrote.
Odendaal continued to say although he was thankful for the rain, the drought was still very much a reality and cautioned residents to use water sparingly.
"The rain is not nearly enough to break the back of the drought, and the majority of the rain actually did not fall within our catchments, it fell around the coast.
"So this drought is still very much a reality. I urge all residents to use water very sparingly."
