Catastrophe has struck KwaZulu-Natal again.
This time in Ladysmith, a rural town bordering Newcastle and Dundee, where 10 people are believed to have died in unprecedent floods that swept through the area on Sunday night, bringing mayhem and misery.
The IPSS Medical Emergency and Rescue confirmed that six people have died as a result of the flash floods while 11 others are still missing.
“A massive storm hit Ladysmith on Sunday night. Emergency services are still searching for the missing 11 people,” said the IPSS on Monday.
The medical emergency organisation said the victims were staying at caravan park adjacent to the Kliprivier when it overflowed and swallowed them.
Alfred Duma mayor Zama Sibisi said the municipality was still continuing the costs of the devastating flash floods.
“Because of how the town is built, such disasters always bring calamity to our town,” lamented Sibisi.
2022 floods left trail of destruction
In November 2022, the floods in KwaZulu-Natal caused a severe impact on economic activity in the province, as they brought business operations to a halt in several industries, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Amos Masondo said at the time.
Masondo, the former mayor of Johannesburg, noted that the floods came at a time when KwaZulu-Natal was recovering from the effects of the 2021 July riots, which cost the province over R20-billion and put more than 150 000 jobs at risk.
Masondo further said in respect of housing, various studies conducted indicate that KwaZulu-Natal is the second-highest province in the country when considering housing backlogs.
The province also has a high number of informal settlements surrounding primary economic hubs and secondary cities including eThekwini metro, Ray Nkonyeni, Newcastle, Alfred Duma, KwaDukuza, uMhlathuze and uMsunduzi municipalities.
According to the 2016 community survey, KwaZulu-Natal has a combination of rural and urban settlements, with a housing backlog estimated at over 700 000.
In eThekwini municipality alone, there was a backlog of more than 440 000 houses.
