Durban — KwaZulu-Natal is on high alert as heavy rainfall affects the province, prompting government officials to issue warnings to residents and motorists.
Despite no fatalities or significant incidents reported on Monday, the provincial authorities stressed the importance of vigilance amid the “grumpy weather.”
On Monday, eThekwini Municipality said seven informal settlement dwellings were affected, with three completely destroyed in Cato Crest.
This was after trees fell on the structures, resulting in some injuries.
“The injured residents were taken to hospital for treatment.
“Meanwhile, around 50 structures in Clairwood have been affected. No injuries or fatalities were registered with only high water ingress reported,” said eThekwini Disaster Management and a team from Water and Sanitation were on site assessing the situation to determine the extent of the damage, the city said.
“The municipality’s emergency services continue to work tirelessly to monitor and provide services to affected areas as the rainy weather continues.”
The public was urged to remain vigilant and exercise caution when driving.
The MEC for Human Settlements and Transport, Siboniso Duma, indicated that the Road Traffic Inspectorate officials were actively patrolling the province’s highways.
“We are pleading with motorists to take extra care as our roads are extremely dangerous and slippery,” said Duma.
He highlighted the collaborative efforts with traffic departments and law enforcement agencies to mitigate any disaster and road safety amid the worsening weather conditions.
“Collectively, we must double our efforts to ensure that we end fatalities on our roads,” he reiterated.
On Monday, around midday, the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) further heightened warnings, advising communities to exercise extreme caution.
Adverse weather conditions could lead to flash flooding, difficult driving situations and the potential for power outages, said MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
“We plead with the residents of KwaZulu-Natal as the rain continues to pour down in many parts of the province, including eThekwini.
“We urge motorists to postpone taking long trips because the situation is worsening.
“The heavy rains, which commenced yesterday (Sunday), have already resulted in the flooding of several roads and have disrupted traffic in major cities such as eThekwini. Although no major incidents have been reported thus far, residents are advised to heed the weather warning issued by the weather service.
“The warning for level 6 disruptive rains remains in effect today for the eThekwini Metro and parts of the districts of Ilembe, Ugu, uMgungundlovu, and King Cetshwayo,” said Buthelezi.
As rain continues to drench the province, officials are closely monitoring the conditions in key areas, including the eThekwini, Ugu, uMgungundlovu, and Ilembe, he said.
“The weather conditions are very bad, and we wish to caution residents to be careful on the roads,” Buthelezi added.
He urged communities in low-lying areas to seek shelter on higher ground, as the risk of flooding remained very high.
Meanwhile, Cogta has dispatched disaster response teams to remain on standby should any crises arise, with a clear emphasis on the mantra that “prevention is always better than cure”.
KZN is still reeling from the impact of the recent snowstorm that left two fatalities and stranded thousands on the N3 highway for over two days.
These new weather threats arrive as the South African Weather Service (Saws) issued an orange Level 6 weather warning for KZN, forecasting heavy rain to persist throughout Tuesday.
According to Saws, severe thunderstorms and heavy downpours may result in localised flooding, road closures, and possible damage to infrastructure, particularly in low-lying areas.
“Some areas in the summer rainfall region have recently experienced their Spring thunderstorms, but much of South Africa has had calm weather conditions over the past few days.
“This is set to change with the arrival of a cut-off low-pressure system affecting southern, central, and eastern provinces from Sunday until Tuesday,” Saws stated.
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli also urged residents to remain vigilant and ensure that they are safe.
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