Two people have been killed following a mudslide in KwaMakhuta, south-west of Durban.
Image: ALS Paramedics
Two people have been killed following a mudslide in KwaMakhuta, south-west of Durban on Thursday morning.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson, said mud slid down an embankment and landed on a house below. Two people were confirmed to have died while search and rescue teams as eThekwini Fire officials continue to search for a third person.
Jamieson said there were two incidents of structural damage in the same area.
Meanwhile, mop up operations continue in other parts of the province where downpours wreaked havoc.
Residents have taken to social media to share infrastructure damage to both homes and roads.
Areas in the south of Durban have been greatly affected.
The Elders Voice KZN, an advocacy group for the elderly in the province, shared how a building was damaged in Amanzimtoti.
KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, has urged motorists to be extra careful on the roads.
"We are in receipt of weather reports from the South African Weather Services (Saws) indicating that we are likely to experience a prolonged rainfall in various parts of KZN. The areas are UMgungundlovu, Amajuba, uThukela, eThekwini, Zululand, Ilembe and Umkhanyakude," the MEC said.
In Mpumalanga, MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Jackie Macie urged drivers to obey the rules of the road following several crashes.
He said On Wednesday a bus that was transporting American tourists to Kruger National Park overturned on R540 Road between Dullstroom and Lydenburg and 18 of them sustained injuries ranging from slight to serious.
"Seventeen of the injured tourists are currently receiving medical attention at a hospital in Belfast," the MEC said.
In another incident a head on collision occurred on Wednesday morning between a mini bus taxi and a sedan on N4 between Emalahleni and Vosman. Eight learners sustained injuries with one being critically injured. At the time of the crash, learners were being transported to school.
Another bus transporting learners on R573 Moloto Road overturned yesterday resulting in several learners sustaining minor injuries.
"Without concluding on reasons for these and other crashes, we believe that the weather may have been the cause of most of these crashes. We are therefore calling on motorists to maintain prudent following distance, reduce speed and be extremely cautious when driving misty and wet weather conditions," the MEC said.
In the North West, the R510 road between Monakato and Mogwase has been closed as the Kgetleng River is overflowing.
"The municipality strongly recommend using alternative routes like R565 Sun City/Ledig road to ensure your safety. Please remain vigilant as we continue to experience heavy rainfall in various areas," the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management urged.
Saws has issued an Orange Level 6 warning for disruptive rain over Gauteng, eastern parts of North West, extreme north-eastern parts of Free State, western Highveld in Mpumalanga and the western Bushveld in Limpopo.
A Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rain and possible flooding has also been issued for central and parts of the North West and northern and eastern parts of Free State and over the Lowveld and eastern Highveld in Mpumalanga.
A Yellow Level 2 warning of severe thunderstorms has been issued for western and central parts of the Northern Cape.
A Yellow Level 4 warning for disruptive rain has been issued for the KZN coastal areas.
A Yellow Level 1 warning of damaging winds has been issued for areas between Algoa Bay and Coffee Bay.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
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