Tornado sends woman to early labour!

IT was an ordinary day for Randfontein residents until the weather suddenly changed.

Dark clouds gathered, and soon, rain began to pour.

What followed was a stark reminder of nature's unpredictability as a tornado struck without warning on Wednesday, 27 November.

One of the victims was a pregnant woman, Carmen Smith.

When the storm hit, she was relaxing with friends at her neighbour's house in Toekomsrus.

As they watched in horror, a tree fell towards the house.

Miraculously, it didn't damage the structure.

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Carmen, however, was so shocked by the incident that she went into early labour and is currently in hospital.

The house, owned by a teacher who wishes to remain anonymous, was spared.

"When I came back, I got the shock of my life to find the tree uprooted. It was by God's grace that it didn't crush my house."

Unfortunately, the wall fence has been reduced to rubble.

The house is among the 110 that were damaged by the tornado in Randfontein.

Local councillor Balderic Dreyer said they have identified affected houses and are working on a plan to assist the families.

"About 430 families in 110 houses were affected," said Dreyer.

He also confirmed that several people were injured, including a kid who was rushed to hospital after a wall fell on him.