Durban - As thousands of mourners flocked to Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday for the burial ceremony of King Goodwill Zwelithini, a warning for heavy rains in the area was issued by the South African Weather Service.
And because of the warning, the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sipho Hlomuka has placed disaster management teams on alert in northern KZN in anticipation of the flooding and other weather related damage.
“The warning received by the department indicates that severe thunderstorms are forecast over the northern parts of KZN from this afternoon going into tomorrow morning,” the department said in a statement.
Areas that are expected to be affected is the Zululand, uMzinyathi, uThukela and Amajuba Districts.
“Severe thunderstorms could lead to localised flooding in rural areas. The MEC has warned residents to take extreme caution as the inclement weather conditions could pose a serious threat to human life,” Cogta said.
The areas that are expected to be affected are Nongoma, Abaqulusi, Alfred-Duma, Big 5 Hlabisa, Dannhauser, eDumbe, eMadlangeni, eNdumeni, Jozini, Msinga, Mthonjaneni, Mtubatuba, Newcastle, Nkandla, Nquthu, Okhahlamba, Ulundi, uMhlabuyalingana, uMhlathuze and uPhongolo.
MEC Hlomuka has urged residents to exercise caution
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