The community in Riverlands is still trying to recover after being hit by heavy floods last week. A dam wall subsequently burst, hitting the town with a devastating torrent of water on Saturday, 17 August 2024. (Photo: Shelley Christians) 
The community of Riverlands, in Malmesbury, is trying to clean up and salvage what they can after successive dam collapses caused flash floods over the past week.
When Daily Maverick visited the area on Tuesday, the town was quiet while residents washed, cleaned up and collected drinking water. Children were dressed mainly in gumboots and played in a nearby field.
Daily Maverick photographer Shelley Christians turns her focus to the community trying to recoup their losses and most urgently clean up their mud covered properties. DM
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-06.jpg "Children play on ruined furniture outside their home. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-07.jpg "Cathrine Cleophas (49) collects food from Gift of the Givers. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-08.jpg "Riverlands Primary School pupils wait to collect food from Gift of the Givers. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-11.jpg "Gift of the Givers’ Ali Sablay talks to Jacqueline Simon, a crèche teacher, not in the image. The crèche, visible to the left, had to close as part of the building next door collapsed and is unstable. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-03.jpg "Tanya Brown speaks to Daily Maverick outside of her flooded home. The community in Riverlands is still trying to recover after being hit by heavy floods last week. A dam wall burst hitting the town with a devastating torrent of water on Saturday. 20 August 2024. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-16.jpg "Natalie Lewis from Cape Nature hand washes a residents clothes inside of a washing machine. A few staff memeber have been helping residents with the washing and clearing the mud out of their homes. Electricity was still off in this section of Riverlands following serious flooding in the area. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Riversdale-09.jpg "A Gift of the Givers staff member takes a photo of a collapsed building . The creche next door had to be closed as the buildings are unstable.(Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Shelley-Riverlands-Photoessay-15.jpg "Gareth Nero (25) from the expanded public works programme walks along flooded waters in what used to be a road in Riverlands. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Shelley-Riverlands-Photoessay-14.jpg "A home collapsed when flood waters came down the road. The roadway gave in and many structures were damaged. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Shelley-Riverlands-Photoessay-13.jpg "Vehicles were scattered by floodwaters all over the town. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Shelley-Riverlands-Photoessay-12.jpg "Many homes were completely destroyed in Riverlands. (Photo: Shelley Christians)")