At least 38 people have died in the flooding that has affected several provinces and municipalities across the country in little more than a month.
The fatality figure is higher than that of the Australian floods, which at present stands at more than 20.
The ministry for co-operative governance and traditional affairs said on Wednesday at least 32 people were estimated to have died and nine were injured in the recent floods in kwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Data yet to be verified showed that 12 people had died in Gauteng and between 400 and 500 informal and formal homes had been damaged. The worst affected areas were Johannesburg and Pretoria.
In kwaZulu-Natal preliminary data indicated about 20 people had died and nine others had been seriously injured.
The department said: “Preliminary reports indicate that 515 people have been affected by the incidents in kwaZulu-Natal where an estimated 200 households have been affected by the storms and rains, which have covered an area including Umgungundlovu, Umzinyathi, Ugu, eThekwini, Sisonke, Umkhanyakude and Uthungulu.
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All the affected provinces and municipalities have informed us they are still assessing the extent of the damage, which will include the number of lives lost as well as houses and infrastructure damaged.”
Local disaster management structures and their provincial counterparts were helping those affected with accommodation, food and blankets.
“People are encouraged to listen to the local media for updated emergency information.
“Flash floods can happen quickly so people staying in flood-prone areas must be prepared to act immediately.”
The ministry said
disaster management structures in the provinces which were vulnerable to floods had been warned of the possibility of further heavy rain.
“In case of an evacuation, people must leave early enough to avoid being marooned.”
Meanwhile six people have drowned in the Northern Cape and residents and local authorities in the lower Gariep (formerly Orange) River regions are bracing for the worst.
The flooding is expected to peak in the area on Friday.
Approximately 5.3 million litres of water per second were expected to hit the area by Friday night or Saturday morning.
The water which will reach the Upington area on Friday follows the opening of 10 flood gates at the Bloemhof Dam last week.
The department of water affairs has warned that there was likely to be severe flooding in the Gariep River, downstream from where it meets the Vaal River.
The Augrabies Falls in the Upington area are spectacular with 3 million litres of water a second already making its way over the waterfall.
In Maputo
, lightning killed eight churchgoers on Sunday with a separate storm and floods raising the death toll to 12, Mozambiquean police and state media said yesterday.
Provincial police spokesmanBelmiro Mutadiwa said: “The group was meeting under a tree when the thunderstorm started.”
A disaster management official said on January 7 that heavy rain in Mozambique in the next two months could cause massive floods comparable to the devastating downpours that killed 800 people in 2000.
Lightning in Gondola district near the Manica provincial capital, Chimoio, killed one person on Monday, Mutadiwa said, while state media reported that a storm and flash floods in the city killed three other people that same day. - The Mercury