Durban mayor to visit families affected by flooding after couple dies

eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda will on Tuesday be visiting families who were affected by flooding and heavy rains in Durban on Monday.

In a statement, the municipality said two people had reportedly died due to the inclement conditions.

“Mayor of eThekwini, [councillor] Mxolisi Kaunda, will this morning visit families that have been affected by the recent heavy rains in Inanda. Two people are reported to have lost their lives,” the municipality said in a statement.

eNCA reported on Tuesday that a couple had died after their house collapsed.

News24 on Monday reported that the M4 northern freeway between Umhlanga and Sibaya had been closed.

Durban Metro Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parbhoo Sewpersad said: “This is as a result of flooding. It will be closed for an unknown period of time. We have reached out to the department of transport’s engineers to assess the damage so far. I don’t think the road will be opened today.”

He said alternate routes were the M41, N2 and the R102.

Verulam, Amanzimtoti, Chatsworth and other low-lying areas were also affected by the rains.

Disaster management teams in the province have been on high alert since Sunday, following reports of severe thunderstorms.

Teams were placed on alert after the South African Weather Service indicated a strong possibility of severe thunderstorms that could lead to localised flooding in large parts of the province.

Recently, four people were killed in a lightning strike in Mkuze, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

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