Severe weather expected in parts of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal
Severe thunderstorms, disruptive rain and damaging winds are expected in parts of South Africa at the start of the week.
According to the South African Weather Service’s weather alerts for Monday:
- A Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours and strong to damaging winds leading to localised flooding of roads and settlements and localised damage to infrastructure is expected over the northern and western parts of Limpopo.
- A Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rain leading to localised flooding of susceptible formal and informal settlements, roads and bridges and localised damage to infrastructure is expected along the extreme north-eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
- A Yellow Level 1 warning for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea is expected between Lambert’s Bay and Cape Point from Monday afternoon, spreading to Cape Agulhas from Tuesday afternoon, and clearing north of Table Bay from Wednesday.
Meanwhile, on Saturday night, heavy rainfall and strong winds that swept through Matiwaneskop, KZN, left several homes damaged.
Disaster management teams were immediately dispatched to assist the affected communities and assess the extent of damage caused.
UThukela District Municipality Mayor Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala also visited the area to assess flood damage.
Shabalala told the disaster management team, which included Ward Councillor Dlamini, Red Cross, the Alfred Duma Disaster Management Centre, the ward committee and Izinduna that they were saddened by the incident.
However, he said this has become a common occurrence in the area as the community is always affected by disasters whenever there is heavy rainfall.
“This is a very sad situation that we are witnessing today (Sunday). It is beyond our control and there’s nothing much we can do because it’s just a natural disaster. Our teams are on the ground, working tirelessly to provide support, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Shabalala said.
According to Themba Ndumo from the uThukela Disaster Management Centre, 31 houses and 223 people were affected. At least 22 houses were partially destroyed, 19 were destroyed and one person was injured. The injured resident was rushed to a provincial hospital for treatment.
Additionally, about 25 plastic rolls, 12 blankets and three tents were distributed to affected households.
The issue of the road was brought to the forefront by Dlamini as he insisted that it needed to be addressed by engaging the Department of Transport.
Homes visited by Shabalala and his team to offer support received a plastic roll and four blankets.
He said they would engage the housing department and Eskom to assist in this situation.
UThukela District Municipality spokesperson Jabulani Mkhonza said as weather conditions remain unpredictable, authorities urge residents in flood-prone areas to take precautions and report further damage to the municipality. Emergency response teams remain on high alert to provide immediate assistance if required.
Additionally, the disaster serves as a stark reminder of the need for strengthened disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience to protect vulnerable communities from extreme weather events in the future.
This comes after parts of the country were flooded following heavy rains last week. As a result, at least nine people were killed in KZN.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za