Flooding strikes Newcastle, Ladysmith and Glencoe in KZN

In Newcastle, all roads and bridges near the Normandien Dam were closed, and motorists were urged to exercise extreme caution when travelling in the area.

A torrent of water breaks through the Normandien Dam wall on Wednesday morning. Picture: Stella Brand.

Streets in parts of Newcastle, Ladysmith and Glencoe, in KwaZulu-Natal, were flooded on Wednesday morning, and the rising water levels in the rivers and dams posed a threat of flooding.

A concerned resident raised alarm about the state of the roads going towards Normandien, in KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday morning, reports the Newcastle Advertiser.

The resident said a torrent of water had broken through the Normandien Dam wall and was spurting to Chelmsford/Ntsingwayo Dam.

All roads and bridges have been closed, and motorists were urged to exercise extreme caution.

Under the Asiphephe Bridge in Madadeni, water levels of the Ingagane River continued to rise.

The Newcastle Advertiser further reported that on Tuesday evening, head of disaster management Nelson Mpeko for the Newcastle Municipality confirmed that due to the heavy rainfalls, Ncandu, Ingagane and Buffalo rivers were filled to such an extent that flash floods had been reported in Newcastle, oSizweni and Madadeni.

Affected areas in Newcastle included Lennoxton, Paradise and the Siyahlala-la Informal Settlement, along with Sections 3 and 5 in Madadeni. At least two houses were destroyed during the floods in Madadeni. Some parts of town are submerged in water.

Together with the municipality, the disaster management team have formulated a contingency plan.

The Fairleigh Community Hall will be used to accommodate displaced families from Lennoxton, Paradise and Siyahlala-la, while residents in town will be accommodated at the Farmers Hall.

Madadeni residents could find refuge at the Madadeni Community Hall, while residents from oSizweni and Blaauwbosch will be accommodated at both oSizweni Community Hall and eMazamo High School.

A soup kitchen would be activated on Wednesday morning to support and supply the residents who were displaced.

Necessary relief material, such as blankets and sponges, will also be distributed.

In Ladysmith, bystanders admired the sight of the water under the Soofie Mosque Bridge, which was at its highest level in years on Wednesday morning, reports the Ladysmith Gazette.

After three days of rainfall, the Klip River was flowing fast, and the water level had reached 6.5 metres. Ladysmith community members were overjoyed to see so much water filling the river.

Residents have been chatting about the days when this town used to flood, how the situation had changed over the last few days, with Spioenkop Dam now full and rivers threatening to burst their banks.

After a recent measurement at the Soofie Bridge, an official stated that the water level had dropped to 6.4 metres. Public safety officers were monitoring the water levels.

Parts of the lower end of the Ladysmith CBD were partially flooded on Wednesday morning as stormwater drains failed to cope with the continuous rainfall experienced over the past few days.

In Glencoe, disaster management was called to Amadoshi area, Sithembile Location, as heavy rains caused flooding in the area, reports the Northern Natal Courier.

Residents said the area had been flooding since Tuesday. Resident Thembilihle Mbatha said she had to sleep over at a friends house due to the flood damage to her home.