Four people are reported to have died during the torrential downpours and violent winds that wreaked havoc across KZN this weekend.

Provincial disaster management teams are helping those whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the weather conditions. Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, the KZN MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, says the northern regions of the province, specifically Mtubatuba, were severely affected.

The roofs of houses were torn off by the storm, and electrical lines, roads, bridges and cars were damaged, adds Sithole-Moloi.

She says that that by yesterday afternoon, more than 70 homes in Somkhele and KwaMyeki areas had been destroyed.

“Some houses suffered complete damage, rendering families homeless. Community halls and churches have opened their doors to the public, while others have sought alternative accommodation with relatives,” explains Sithole-Moloi.

The MEC says there were also reports of damaged vehicles, and in certain areas Eskom poles and cables were scattered across roads and people’s properties.

According to a media release, the Harry Gwala District’s Greater Kokstad Municipality experienced heavy rains and a hailstorm in the Pakkies Location.

“Approximately six households were affected, with no reported fatalities, injuries or displaced individuals at this point,” says Sithole-Moloi.

The Umzimkhulu Municipality also experienced heavy rains in the Madakeni location, affecting four households, with no fatalities reported at this stage, she adds.

“In the uMgungundlovu District, about 23 households in the Rosetta informal settlement under Mpofana Local Municipality were affected by the hailstorm last night,” says the MEC.

According to the report on Ulundi, which falls under the Zululand District Municipality, a block of rental rooms was blown away by strong winds last night, with no reported injuries. Sithole-Moloi says disaster management teams will continue on-site assessments and provide relief, including mattresses, blankets, food and plastic sheeting.

“We are collaborating with other governmental departments, such as Social Development and Human Settlement, to aid all victims … While we acknowledge that certain incidents are unavoidable, such as the thunderstorm with strong winds that devastated houses in Mtubatuba, we encourage communities to take safety precautions, such as relocating to safer areas where possible,” she says.

Meanwhile, in Pietermaritzburg, a major power outage has left most parts of the city in the dark.

This came after the South African Weather Services warned of disruptive rainfall, which can lead to localised flooding, danger to life and damage to property over the Midlands of KZN as well as the interior of the Eastern Cape, except in the northern parts.

The damage in Pietermaritzburg is due to the heavy rainfall and thundershowers which began on Saturday afternoon and continued throughout the night into yesterday morning.

Late yesterday afternoon, the storm knocked out the electricity in areas such as Eastwood, Panorama, Glenwood, various parts of Northdale, Copesville, Swapo, Haniville, Bishopstowe, Claridge, Willowton Industrial, Orhtman Road, Mountainrise, Beacon Hill and Sobantu.

The Msunduzi Municipality issued an electricity update yesterday, which included more electricity outages to other parts of Pietermaritzburg such as Sweetwaters, The Ridge, Dennis Shepstone, Mpumuza, Blackridge, Boughton and surrounding areas.