'I tried to resuscitate her' - Tongaat man's tragic account of losing his wife

Loading player...
A Tongaat man has told East Coast Breakfast about the heartbreaking moment he lost his wife when Monday's tornado destroyed their home.

On Monday afternoon, large parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) were battered by damaging winds and torrential rain. Some areas, particularly in Tongaat, were devastated by a wedge tornado.

The East Coast Breakfast team, in collaboration with The Gift of the Givers, hosted a first-of-its-kind 'WhatsAppathon' on Friday morning. The event was broadcast live from the Vishwaroop Temple in the Tongaat area to raise funds for those affected.

One Tongaat resident, Viven Gounden, (pictured below) joined the East Coast Breakfast team to share his story. He told the team how his wife, Rennisha, died after the collapse of their home.

According to Gounden, he managed to shield his seven-year-old son, but the strong winds caused the ceiling to collapse.

"In one minute, everything stopped; the entire house was completely wrecked."

As a nurse, Gounden immediately attempted to resuscitate his wife, but was unable to sustain his efforts due to the severity of her injuries.
7 Jun 2024 7AM English South Africa Society & Culture · Daily News

Other recent episodes

Siphamandla shares his hidden gift with KZN...

Siphamandla Mthiyane won a brand-new BMW M240i in East Coast Radio and Gold Rush’s Live Inside and Win the Ride! After living in the car for 10 days, he drove away with the prize. He joined East Coast Breakfast on Monday morning to speak about the most difficult thing was…
11 May 5AM 12 min

Hantavirus? Prof. Tulio de Oliveira answers SA’s biggest questions

Prof Tulio De Oliveira explains hantavirus is a well-known virus discovered in 1976, usually transmitted by rodents and associated with farm work or cleaning rodent excrement, with low fatality. He outlines symptoms, including kidney bleeding in some variants and lung fluid leakage leading to pulmonary disease and cardiac arrest in…
7 May 2AM 5 min

Live Inside & Win the Ride takes a wild turn!

"Live Inside & Win the Ride”, brought to you by Goldrush and East Coast Radio is LIVE on East Coast Radio! People are currently living in a car for 10 days and there will be a series of challenges and elimination rounds, and ultimately one person will drive away in…
5 May 4AM 4 min

The FIRST-EVER radio drama with the Isitha: The Enemy cast?!

Darren, Sky, and Carmen welcomed Luyanda Zuma, Linda Sebenzo, Senzokuhle Radebe, Andile Mxakaza, and Sibonginkosi Tenza from eTV’s hit show Isitha: The Enemy (Season 4)… but this wasn’t your typical interview. In a first for East Coast Radio, the cast put their acting chops to the test in a LIVE…
5 May 5AM 7 min

Can a skilled SANDF Candidate Officer live inside to win the ride?

Darren, Sky, and Carmen caught up with finalists Sinaed, Rivaldo, and Tyreek (a SANDF Candidate Officer) to find out what’s going through their minds before stepping into the car. This trio gives us a glimpse into how they plan to outlast the competition, from survival strategies to mental strength and…
28 Apr 5AM 14 min