Caught in Cyclone Gezani: Marc Lottering and Anwar Mc Kay's unforgettable holiday in Mozambique

Comedian Marc Lottering found himself in a situation that was no laughing matter when he and his partner, author Anwar Mc Kay, were caught in the path of a Tropical Cyclone Gezani while holidaying in Mozambique.

The couple had travelled from Cape Town to Tofo Beach in Inhambane Province when the cyclone struck.

The storm first made landfall in Madagascar on Tuesday, February 10, bringing winds of around 180km/h and gusts of up to 230km/h before moving across the Mozambique Channel towards Inhambane.

In an exclusive interview with Atlantic Sun, Mr Mc Kay admitted that he initially ignored warnings. “I have never seen a cyclone before and always thought of it as something that's far away, as I am from Cape Town.”

He said the landlord of the holiday rental had sent a cyclone warning, but he simply “brushed it to the side”.

Mr Lottering explained that the trip itself had been a surprise.“Anwar said we're going to Tofo, so I wasn't prepared at all.”

It was only when the skies turned grey and restaurants began shutting their doors that the reality sank in.

Mr Mc Kay said he even posted a light-hearted video on the morning of Friday, February 13, while the storm still seemed manageable.

“We were still joking about us being in the frontline and should be heading in the opposite direction, so I was still in denial, and only after 4pm, we saw the cold front approaching, and winds coming from nowhere. I started gathering my belongings, and I said to Marc, 'It's time we close the doors now,” he said.

Mr Lottering said: “There was no more time for jokes, and we went downstairs, and if all hell broke loose, we would be safe in that room. I called it the bunker.”

The "bunker" was a downstairs room without windows to avoid flying debris.

As the winds intensified and waves battered the shore, Mr Mc Kay said they could hear the roof flapping violently. “It was terrifying. I was sitting there wondering if the rest of the house was still standing."

Mr Lottering, he said, was slightly braver, occasionally venturing out to check whether everything was still in place.

The cyclone hit at around 5pm and intensified further by 7pm, said Mr Mc Kay.

Mr Lottering described a “horrible” silence during the height of the storm, and said making small talk was hard as they both feared what could happen next.

“I haven’t been to church in a long time, so I didn't know that I still remembered how to pray; I might have even prayed in tongues,” he joked.

They later discovered their rental house had been left waterlogged with roof damage.

Mr Lottering said they were especially moved when a local friend, Raul, came to check on them the next morning, despite his own property being damaged by a fallen coconut tree.

“He was so selfless. A coconut tree smashed his property, he has a family, and his kitchen was destroyed, and many businesses needed to be rebuilt. That's what made me realise that we take for granted how privileged we are, and that some others are worse off than others,” he said.

For Mr Mc Kay, the unpredictability of the trip became an unexpected life lesson. “We must just allow life to be because we make plans, but God has his own plans for us. It really was an eye-opener for me," he said.

He added that the experience has made him more aware of climate change, emissions, and the importance of greener thinking.

Mr Lottering echoed the sentiment, saying the resilience and compassion of the people of Tofo left a lasting impression.

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