Tebogo Monama

Tebogo Monama

A Soweto woman's prayers were disrupted by the rattle of corrugated iron sheets falling into her kitchen on Saturday evening.

Alina Bilankulu of Tshiawelo was in her bedroom praying when a roof from a nearby shop landed in her kitchen after being blown off by the strong winds accompanying the rain. "I am very lucky. I was sitting on the kitchen table when I decided to go into the bedroom to pray."

She was alone in the house.

Yesterday, Johannesburg Emergency Services helped repair Bilankulu's house. "I am grateful for the help that I am getting. I am glad that I was not hurt in the whole incident."

Bilankulu's prayers were not the only ones interrupted by the rain.

When congregants of the Apostolic Faith Mission in the same area went to church yesterday, they first had to assess and clean up the damage caused by the wind.

Pastor Mkhulu Sibeko said: "The wind damaged our roof and the corrugated iron sheets fell into neighbouring yards. We had to collect the sheets from other peoples' yards before we started with the service."

No one was in the church at the time of the incident.