By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
At least five people have lost their lives in a powerful storm that battered communities in the north of Durban, Kwazulu-Natal.
“Five people have sadly lost their lives in the eThekwini Metro, which has been hardest hit, and dozens of people are being treated for injuries in health care facilities”, the provincial government said in a statement.
Areas in and around Sandfields in Tongaat experienced severe weather that ripped off roofs and flooded streets.
eThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said other areas around Durban, including Umgababa, Durban Central, and the western parts of the city, also experienced heavy rainfall, leading to flooding of some households and roads.
“The strong winds also affected communities in the Amajuba District and Umzinyathi District, where houses were damaged by the strong winds in Newcastle, Dannhauser, Nquthu, and surrounding areas.
Sisilana added the provincial government, through the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, has coordinated the disaster team from affected municipalities to provide temporary shelter to those who may need it.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube is expected to lead a government delegation on Tuesday to visit Tongaat for assessment and provision of disaster relief.
Durban and its surrounding area was in 2022 the site of the worst flooding in South Africa’s history, which provoked mudslides that killed more than 400 people and caused several millions of dollars worth of damage.
The national meteorological institute says South Africa is in the grip of a “cut off low” pressure system marked by heavy rains and a cold snap that can also bring hail, snow and strong winds.
Heavy rainfall has hit the eastern Indian Ocean coast, and meteorological services have published weather alerts in four of the southern African country’s nine provinces.