The massive storm which hit Joburg yesterday has turned unfamiliar neighbours into friends.
The Johannesburg rainy season has officially kicked in and started causing havoc yesterday in and around Johannesburg with cars stuck in traffic and some submerged on several city roads and highways.
South Africans across the country were shocked by images of cars, houses and small businesses wrecked by the rushing water.
Thandi Guilherme, an event manager from Edenvale, found herself in the midst of the havoc when her wall was completely taken out by a tree which had been uprooted during the storm.
Thandi didn’t quite know what to do but luckily a friendly unfamiliar neighbour saw the tree fall and came to her rescue.
Alec, the good samaritan immediately got his chainsaw and helped cut the tree into smaller, more manageable pieces so that they could concentrate on fixing the wall.
“It took Alec and my boyfriend Ash around 3 hours to cut down the tree. Plus, Alec brought some pallets to patch the wall up.”
Thandi had lived in the area for over 2 years but never actually met Alec. Thankfully, she can now call him a friend.
“It was actually remarkable. Our community really came through, from the CPF coming over to everyone suggesting tree fellers etc. It was a real show of neighborhood.”
“The Ekurhuleni parks management came round at about 00:45 to come chop the tree down but saw that the work was already done. I tell you, they seemed relieved. They had a seriously long night and one less tree for them to handle was great news for them.”
The three of them shared a beer together after the hard work was done, and even though there was some destruction after the storm… without it, they may have never actually met.
“I think in the end that it’s the easiest thing in the world to isolate yourself and ignore your neighbours, but Alec really showed what community is about. We all had some beers after and will definitely be chatting more in the future!”
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