Extensive damage has been reported in the Ugu, KwaDukuza, eThekwini and Ndwedwe municipalities as a result of Saturday’s storm, with the death toll climbing to 8.
In eThekwini, the bodies of the two missing people from the oThongathi area have been recovered.
IPSS Search and Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said that on Monday night their team, with uMhlali SAPS K9 Search and Rescue and Cert KZN, recovered the body of a woman in the oThongathi area.
Meyrick said that the teams returned to the area to search for the missing man and after several hours, SAPS K9 Dante was able to locate the body several kilometres down the river from where he was washed away.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs confirmed that the death toll had risen to eight.
KwaDukuza mayor Lindile Nhaca said several people were displaced and the municipality was facilitating aid for these families.
Nhaca said teams of experts were assessing the extent of the damages.
“Several roads and bridges have been severely damaged, most of them collapsed. Our stormwater system was exposed to the heavy rainfall, making them inadequate and insufficient to manage the amount of water received,” she said.
The mayor said the electrical infrastructure had been “hugely” compromised and most areas experienced outages which took over 12 hours to be restored.
Nhaca said most communities who reside along floodplains and low-lying areas were severely affected.
“There are a number of private properties that have been damaged by the subsequent flooding, from the poor to the most affluent communities,” said the mayor.
She said efforts were being made to restore electricity supply in the affected areas, to clear public roads and to unblock storm water drains.
Assessment reports will be completed by Friday and sent to the provincial and national government and a request would be made to declare the area a disaster, she said.
“We have already begun talks with various government departments to ensure they too come on board to assist with humanitarian aid. This includes access to medical care, documentation and food security,” said Nhaca.
Ugu District Municipality spokesperson France Zama said the storm caused major damage to the northern water supply system of the district, affecting the Mthwalume raw water abstraction system which supplies water to areas under Umzumbe and Umdoni Local Municipality.
Zama said the damage to the Mthwalume System has affected the supply of water to areas including Elysium, Bazley, Ifafa, Koelwater, Sezela, Mthwalume Urban, Qoloqolo, Nomakhazana, Sibanini, Bhekulwandle, Mfazazana, Sihlonyaneni, 26, Arnold Lushaba Hospital, Nkambini, Bhunwini, Makhoso, Bangibizo, Dembese, Mathulini, Nyangwini and Mgangeni.
“A temporary weir which draws water from the Mthwalume River has been washed away and the treatment plant is no longer able to draw water for treatment due to the displacement of the raw water submersible pumps.
“Extensive work is being undertaken by uMngeni-uThukela Water to restore the system back to full operation and we are expecting the system to be fully recovered before the end of the week,” he said.
KZN’s Department of Social Development announced on Tuesday that MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza, with the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), would be visiting flood-stricken communities in Ladysmith and the KZN Midlands.
ILembe District Municipality mayor Thobani Shandu inspected ward 9, Ndwedwe Local Municipality, on Tuesday where roads were damaged.
“The delegation visited road P102 (just outside the Montebello Hospital) as well as Road L3006, where three bridges collapsed making access to the hospital almost impossible. Some learners may not be able to get to school when they reopen today.”
The Mercury