South Africa: KZN Hit By 2nd Wave of Heavy Rain

South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province has been placed on the highest warning level by the South African Weather Service as the area endures record-levels of heavy rain, with more predicted on the way.

On Saturday, 21 May, the weather service’s official Twitter account issued a “Red Level 10 Warning” for “widespread flooding, mudslides, rockfalls and soil erosion” around the greater Durban area.

Shortly after the warning was issued, the province’s premier, Sihle Zikalala, urged the public to be vigilant.

Local government has evacuated hundreds of citizens as a precaution, after more than 200 millimetres of inclement weather was predicted for the upcoming week.

According to Zikalala, by the following afternoon, Sunday 22 May, reports flooded in from Umlazi, Wentworth, Isipingo, Amanzimtoti, Umdloti and Tongaat, detailing the extent of the destruction: homes and roads swept away, collapsed bridges, and sinkholes appearing.

Early last month, KZN experienced some of the heaviest rain in recorded history, which resulted in mass flooding and multiple landslides in the province. The natural disaster killed at least 435 people and caused an estimated R17 billion in property damage. Eighty-eight people remain missing.

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