Mpophomeni residents spent the weekend repairing shattered windows and patching damaged roofs after a hailstorm with strong winds tore through the township last Friday evening, leaving more than 1 500 households affected. A preliminary report from uMngeni Municipality shows that at least 30 homes were severely damaged, while about 200 households received emergency plastic sheeting on Saturday as a temporary measure. Municipal teams, led by Mayor Chris Pappas and ward councillors, began door-to-door assessments on Saturday morning to determine the full extent of the damage, which officials described as widespread — particularly to asbestos roofing and windows.
Despite the scale of destruction, no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. Several vehicles were also damaged, with residents reporting shattered windscreens. Residents said the storm struck with little warning at around 7.30pm, bringing intense hail that tore through homes and left families scrambling for safety.
The situation worsened when heavy rain followed later that night, exposing already damaged houses to further destruction. Anatora Gama, an elderly resident, said the storm left her home badly damaged, with holes punched through multiple rooms and windows broken. The sound of the hailstones hitting the roof was terrifying.
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They were almost the size of my hand and came through the roof from all sides. “We were running around trying to move furniture, also afraid we would be hit by those hailstones that came through the roof,” she said. Another resident, Thandeka Khanyile, said the rainfall that followed caused even more damage.
Khanyile described the experience as traumatic, saying she carried her toddler on her back throughout the night. “I don’t think Mpophomeni has ever experienced something like this. The hailstones were huge — something we usually only see happening in other areas.”
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