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South Africa floods leave 1000 homeless

This picture taken on April 23, 2019 shows houses destroyed by torrential rains and flash floods at an informal settlement of BottleBrush, south of Durban. - The death toll from floods and mudslides that crushed homes in the South African port of Durban on April 23 has risen to 33, with reports of children missing and scores of people displaced, authorities said. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)

Around 1,000 people have been left homeless after devastating floods in South Africa, an official said on Thursday, while about 70 lives have been lost to the disaster.

Heavy rains have lashed the southeast of the country, tearing down homes and ravaging infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Eastern Cape provinces. 

The acting leader of KZN province, which includes port city Durban, Sihle Zikalala said “we are worried and quite devastated by the increase of the number of fatalities”.

“We’re now told that the number (of fatalities) is getting around 70. The final figure will be released during the day,” he said at a media briefing.

“It is the first time in KZN that we experience such a loss of people, that we lose people in such a great number.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the deluged province on Wednesday and pledged government funds to help those affected by the extreme weather. 

Emergency responders have reported collapsed buildings and flooded roads, blocked sewer lines and toppled electricity pylons.

“So all this part it just fell… We only have two survivors, one of them is my son and the other friend,” said Ntombi Ztombi Zama whose sister was killed in a landslide at a property in Chatsworth, south of Durban.

“When I came and I see everything demolished it just broke me. It was bad.”

South African military personnel have been dispatched to help rescue and evacuation efforts.

The South African Weather Service has warned that more heavy rain and gale force winds are on the way. 

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