The SA Weather Service urged residents in several provinces to take precautions as heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected this weekend. Photo: Unsplash
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued severe weather alerts for three provinces with heavy rain expected in other parts of the country for this weekend.
According to the weather service, thunderstorms, damaging and strong winds, as well as disruptive rains, will lash the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Free State.
The national government has urged residents in various provinces to take the necessary precautions and follow instructions from respective disaster management centres to keep safe, during these inclement weather conditions.
“Government has noted the damages already caused by the inclement weather and the responses of first responders in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo,” the government said in a statement on Friday.
ALSO READ: Weather update: Disruptive rain, severe thunderstorms and flooding this Saturday
According to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), the country’s provincial disaster management teams will be on high alert over the weekend.
The contact numbers of the relevant provincial disaster management centres are:
The latest weather warning of another rainy weekend in KwaZulu-Natal follows in the wake of the trgic Ladysmith flash flood which killed 14 people on Christmas Eve after the banks of the Bellspuit River burst.
At least 18 people in the province have lost their lives due to drowning since Sunday, with Ladysmith being town hardest-hit by the flash floods and adverse weather.
According to EWN, the overall death toll could even rise to 30 in the coming days as the search for missing flood victims continues.
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesperson Sboniso Mngadi has urged residents to remain vigilant over the weekend as more rain is expected to hit the province in the coming days.
In April last year, KwaZulu-Natal suffered one of the worst natural disasters in South African history, when 448 people lost their lives, and tens of thousands were displaced due to catastrophic flooding and landslides.
ALSO READ: Concerns over government’s lack of capacity to respond to KZN floods misplaced – Ramaphosa
Meanwhile, the Theewaterskloof Municipality has advised all residents and visitors to brace themselves for an incoming cut-off low pressure weather system which is expected to bring widespread showers and thunderstorms in the area.
This comes as the SAWS issued a Level 3 weather warning for disruptive rain over the Overstrand and other parts of the Overberg, southern Cape Winelands and coastal areas of the Garden Route.
The warning will be valid from Saturday, 30 December until Sunday, 31 December.
According to the municipality, the forecasted widespread showers and thundershowers may result in significant rainfalls with heavy downpours in the area within a short space of time during this period.
“Flooding of roads and settlements – formal and informal – areas can be expected,” the municipality said in a statement.
“Due to flooded roads and significant traffic disruption, there is a likelihood of motor vehicle accidents to occur, especially in peak hours of traffic.”
The municipality added that mudslides and rockfalls may occur, especially along slopes and mountainous areas.
“Residents are cautioned to move valuables to a safe place above the expected flood level in buildings and to switch off electricity at the supply points, and to be cautious at night when it’s harder to recognise flood danger, especially on the roads,” added the municipality.
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