Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning have claimed the lives of 31 people, while three are still unaccounted for in KwaZulu-Natal during December.

In the latest incidents, a man was struck by lightning in Eshowe on New Year’s Eve while a 64-year-old drowned while swimming on the beach in the South Coast.

MEC for the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi said the heavy rains have left a trail of destruction, affecting households, businesses, and public infrastructure such as schools, roads, and bridges.

“As our team continues to assess the situation on the ground while providing disaster relief to affected families, preliminary reports indicate that over 600 households were affected, with over 140 dwellings completely destroyed.”

Affected areas

The MEC said Uthukela District was the most affected, with 23 deaths recorded as a result of the floods that hit Ladysmith Town on Christmas Eve while over 100 households were damaged.

She said the Umgungundlovu District suffered with most homes damaged while two deaths and one person remain missing after a car was swept away in uMsunduzi River in Pietermaritzburg.

In King Cetshwayo District, Sithole-Moloi said over 40 households were damaged by the strong winds and several businesses within Eshowe Industrial were destroyed.

She said Umzinyathi District also suffered with over 100 homes affected and one death. This has affected over 2 000 people and left 21 homeless.

“Since the beginning of these rains, we have been responding promptly, providing immediate disaster relief such as blankets, plastic sheeting, box-B, and vouchers to affected families.

“We have also offered psychological support through the Department of Social Development to the affected families and assisted with burial arrangements.

“We have activated other sector departments such as Human Settlement, Transport, and Home Affairs to coordinate assistance from these departments.”

As the department continues with the assessment, the MEC said they have also been joined by a representative from the Presidency to ascertain the kind of assistance that may be needed from the national government.

“We welcome such support from the Office of the President, it gives us hope and we will ensure that our assessments will be concluded in due course.”

The department commended neighbours and relatives who have demonstrated ubuntu by housing families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Sithole-Moloi said they have assigned their disaster teams to go into all areas to ensure that all homes have been assessed to prepare for assistance.

Once they have concluded their assessments, Sithole-Moloi said they will establish the cost of these damages and cooperate with all departments to provide necessary intervention.

“We would also like to commend our social partners who have been working with us to locate missing people through their search and rescue teams and disaster relief. They have bolstered our response efforts, particularly in areas with high demand, such as Ladysmith.

“We have partnered with organisations such as the Al-Imdaad Foundation, IPSS Medical Rescue, and the South African Red Cross. We also applaud the South African Police Services for mobilising their resources to intensify the search operations to find missing people,” said Sithole-Moloi.

As the search and rescue operations for those still missing continue, the department has urged individuals who may have their loved ones missing as a result of heavy rains to report urgently.

More rains expected in KZN

The rains are expected to continue, with Alert Level 2 Thunderstorms issued for different areas in KwaZulu-Natal.

“We advise our people to remain indoors where it is safe to do so. As many people will be travelling back to work as we conclude the festive holidays, we urge motorists to be extra vigilant on the road.

“Where possible, we advise people to postpone their trips until the weather has cleared. Our teams will remain on high alert to respond to disasters throughout the rainy season.”