In the wake of the devastating flash floods that battered Margate on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal overnight, four people have been officially declared dead.
The profound downpours that struck the town on Sunday night have reportedly had an impact on a number of locations, according to Ugu mayor Skhumbuzo Mqadi.
Reports say a family of three perished when a car they were travelling in was washed away by the intense downpour. Lightning struck the fourth victim, who passed away instantly.
Clean-up effort
On Monday, Mqadi said he has organised a clean-up effort and that the expenses associated with the damage caused by floods are still being consolidated.
“Huge damage has been caused to water and road infrastructure around the areas of Margate, and an onsite assessment of the damages is under way,” said Mqadi.
The storm also caused damage to more than 19 vehicles.
Although the storm warning was only put at level two, which is not generally bad, the municipality said the weather was severe.
“The thunderstorms and rain started on Sunday afternoon and then stopped only for it to return in the evening, where it was more powerful than in the afternoon; that’s when the damage happened.”
The province has suffered severe floods for the past six months, in which 21 people died, infrastructure was destroyed, and homes were swept away.
Western Cape storm
Last week, the Western Cape had its fair share of bad weather, when a storm resulted in the death of a security guard who died after a tree fell on him.
The bad weather, which started on Saturday and was put at level nine, uprooted trees, damaged roads, and destroyed schools.
The premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, consequently ordered the province’s schools to be closed until the weather conditions improved.
