Cape Town – The South African Weather Service said there has been no evidence that the storm which hit parts of the Eastern Cape on Monday was a tornado.
The province has been hard hit by two severe storms in just one week.
A severe thunderstorm moved over the Fort Beaufort and Adelaide area on Monday just after 2.30pm.
“This is the second severe storm to hit the Eastern Cape in less than a week.
“On the afternoon December 9, a severe storm passed over Baziya (20 km west of Mthatha) resulting in six deaths and the loss of livestock that were hit by severe hail.
“Widespread damage was also reported during this event,” the weather service said.
It said the storm in Adelaide/Fort Beaufort yielded similar damage with hail larger than golf balls which smashed many windows in the area.
There have also been reports of numerous trees and a few telephone poles that were blown over. The storm also resulted in many roofs being ripped off buildings.
“To date there has been no definitive evidence of a tornado i.e. no eyewitness or reports suggesting that it was a tornado.
“However, we definitely see evidence of severe storms with strong damaging winds, hail and heavy downpours resulting in widespread damage over the area,” the weather service stated.
The damage was so extensive that humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers heeded the call and immediately jumped into action to assist those affected.
“The number of homes and facilities affected are expected to be much higher. The injured have been taken to Victoria Hospital in Alice, where Gift of the Givers carried out an infrastructure upgrade some months ago.
“Fortunately, there are no fatalities recorded currently.
“Gift of the Givers arranged hot meals last night for victims who were housed in community halls,” Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Gift of the Givers founder said.