Heavy rains in parts of South Africa have killed five people in KwaZulu-Natal, with fatalities recorded on Monday in eThekwini, where roads have been swamped.
The downpour damaged power lines and houses in other parts of the province, including Nquthu, Dannhauser, and Newcastle. Nelson Mandela Bay is still dealing with the extreme conditions, which claimed five lives in the metro.
The KZN Cooperative Governance Department said that it would provide temporary accommodation to victims.
Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Gary van Niekerk, said people living in high-risk areas will be relocated. “There’s more heavy rain predicted for tomorrow. In some areas, it’s as much as 100 mm, so we’re expecting 50 to 100 mm of rain.”
Since the storm started at the weekend, 10 people have died from four separate vehicle crashes in different parts of the Eastern Cape, according to the provincial transport department on Monday.
The SA Weather Service warns that Cape Town residents should stay vigilant as heavy rain is expected in the city and other parts of the province from Tuesday. The city’s disaster risk management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan, said, “We advise the public to please take heed of the warnings and to help reduce the potential risk to their properties by clearing out drainage systems, raising the floor level of their structures, digging trenches around the house to divert water away, and to check that their gutters are clear and that all dead tree branches and any other items that could potentially cause obstructions are cleared.”
Extreme weather conditions have claimed five lives in KwaZulu-Natal and at least seven in the Eastern Cape. Severe cold, snowfall, combined with gusts, and heavy rain are expected to continue this week.
A windstorm in Tongaat, north of Durban, uprooted trees and toppled roofs from people’s homes.