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"We've lost everything. All our life savings went into this property."
These are the words of Margie Beatham, the owner of one of the homes washed away in an Amanzimtoti landslide, after heavy rains hit KwaZulu-Natal last week.
The couple is currently in Rome for work and had bought the house last year as part of their retirement plan.
Beatham said they had hoped to turn the beach house into a B&B when she retires in a few years.
"I just can't explain the devastation of the loss for us. I know there's no life lost and we should be thankful, but it's been absolutely devastating," the 57-year-old told News24.
Beatham said they were still trying to come to terms with what had happened.
"We had been at the house a few days before. And it is very difficult for us to go back now because of finances," she said.
"This loss has been quite a shock for us."
She said they were still waiting on the insurance company to contact them about the extent of the damage.
"On the one side, you can see right into our lounge. You can see the chandelier still hanging in the lounge. And the one portion of the property is completely gone," Beatham said of the videos she has seen.
'It will be hard for us to start again'
Her daughter Angel Beatham, who called her about the collapse, said only a little part of the house was left standing.
"The whole house is basically gone. There is just half of the lounge left and some of the bedrooms. The rest is gone," she said.
"It was hard knowing that my parents put a lot of time and effort into the house."
Angel said the tenant occupying the home at the time had managed to escape the collapse uninjured.
"It will be hard for us to start again, as we are not young anymore," Beatham said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week visited the affected areas that were ravaged by floods in KwaZulu-Natal, conveying condolences to those who had lost loved ones, while also announcing that relief funds would be allocated.
Ramaphosa said he had been told by National Treasury that there were emergency funds available to assist affected families.
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