Good Morning Angels: Helping KZN brothers who lost everything

BACKGROUND: The devastation and loss of the KwaZulu-Natal floods are still being counted, a week after flooding and mudslides caused unprecedented damage in large parts of the province. More than 440 people have so far been confirmed killed and over 60 people are still missing. 

One of the devastating incidents happened at around 02:00 on the morning of 12 April - when a mudslide destroyed several homes and infrastructure in its path around Bealings Road in Northdene near Durban. 

That’s where brothers Danie and Freddy van den Heever used to live with their mom, Marinda (52), sister Mariché (10), and grandmother, Hester.

Danie (22) was staying over at his girlfriend's parent’s home and Freddy (21) was on nightshift at work. 

When Freddy went home after his shift, he couldn’t drive on their road. It was completely blocked by debris. He got out and walked to where their home used to be but it was gone. He called Danie and told him that their house was gone. Danie left work to join his brother, members of the community, and rescuers to look for their missing family members.  They found their mom’s body on the other side of the river and their grandmother's and little sisters’ bodies were found about a kilometer further down the river. 

“We found parts of our home near the river. We recognized bathroom tiles and my mom’s dining table."

Danie and Freddy lost their entire household and everything the family owned. They had to identify the bodies of their mother, grandmother, and little sister on-site

“We don’t have IDs or any paperwork for my family to have them cremated.

"We don’t want to arrange their memorial before we have their ashes - and we need their IDs to sort that. It’s a mess. We really have nothing left.”

But, this is not the first time the brothers had suffered a loss. In December 2020, the brothers also had to take their stepfather’s body out of a swimming pool where he drowned. 

A friend of the family, Dora Miles, wrote to Good Morning Angels on behalf of these two young brothers, who are now left to pick up the pieces and fend for themselves.

REQUEST FOR: Danie and Freddie van den Heerven

REQUEST FROM: Dora Miles, a family friend.

ANGEL: Sumarie Greybe, co-founder of Naked Insurance.

SPONSORING: Naked Insurance has donated R50,000 towards Danie and Freddy - to lay their loved ones to rest and to assist with essentials like clothing and food - as part of the Naked Difference. 

The Naked Difference Programme ensures that, in years when claims are lower than expected, Naked Insurance donates leftover premiums to good causes instead of taking it as profit.

ORIGINAL REQUEST: 

Goeie more Martin Bester en Good morning Angels-span. 

Soos ons almal weet is KwaZulu-Natal die afgelope paar dae in devastation gedompel met hordes mense wat geen heenkome het en/of alles verloor het.

Een van die families staan uit vir my en dis Danie en Freddy van den Heever.

Hulle storie begin eintlik 16 maande terug toe hulle op 20 Desember 2020 tragies hulle pappa aan die dood moes afstaan. Danie en Freddy het die ongemaklike, hartseer taak gehad om Jules uit 'n swembad by hulle huis te haal. Noodhulp toe gepas en deur paramedici ingelig te moes word, daar is niks meer wat gedien kan word nie.

'n Paar maande later in Augustus 2021 is hulle Ouma oorlede.

Maar niks kan hulle voorberei vir wat op hulle wag die oggend van 12 April 2022 nie. Beide Freddie en Danie werk nagskof op die 11de. Toe Freddie Dinsdag oggend 12 April van die werk afkom, kon hy nie by die huis uitkom nie, asgevolg van n verspoelde pad, vol modder en ander debris. Waar hulle huis moes wees is niks. ’n Verwoestende modderstorting vroeër in die oggend-ure, het alles in sy pad platgevee. Die bure aan weerskante se huise is gedeeltelik beskadig, maar die kinders se huis was reg in die middel van die modderstorting se pad. Toe Danie op die toneel aankom, ontmoet hy dieselfde gesig as sy broer. 

Dis waar die gesoek begin het. Die seuns se ma Marinda (52), sussie Mariché (10) en ouma Hester (70s) is nêrerns te siende nie. Na ure se gesoek saam met reddingswerkers vind hulle vir mamma onder tonne debris aan die oorkant van die rivier-oewer. Na nog 'n gesoek van ure kry hulle vir Ouma en uiteindelik na omtrent 8-uur se gesoek kry hulle vir sussie, omtrent 1km stroom af. Weereens kry die twee seuns die ongemaklike taak om hulle ma, sussie en ouma se lyke uit die water uit te haal. 

Die gebeure veroorsaak dat hulle, hulle hele huisgesin verloor, nie 'n huis het om in te bly nie, letterlik net die klere te hê wat hulle aan het. Al hulle geliefdes en besittings is verlore en hulle het die finansiele verpligting om nie een nie, maar drie geliefdes te begrawe.

My versoek is as enige iemand kan help met enige iets net om hulle weer 'n bietjie op hulle voete te bring, sal dit hoog op prys gestel word.

Groete,

Dora Miles

Image Credit: Supplied