Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in parts of the Northern Cape.
Premier Dr Zamani Saul says the John Taolo Gaetsewe District is the worst affected.
In a tweet, the premier says some villages in the area are completely cutoff.
“We are on the ground distributing food parcels to these affected areas with the help of SANDF. We are busy finalising our plans to restore the damaged roads,” he concludes.
Northern Cape has heavy rains and worst affected is John Taolo Gaetsewe District. Some villages are completely cutoff. We are on the ground distributing food parcels to these affected areas with the help of SANDF. We are busy finalizing our plans to restore the damaged roads. pic.twitter.com/3s8H6jB9iZ
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Mandla Msibi, has revealed this in a statement.
He says a 5-year-old boy was swept away by a stream of water at Masoyi in Mbombela; a 40-year-old man drowned in a local river in Pilgrims’ Rest while a baby fell into a river at Elukwatini while her mother was crossing.
“The fatalities have left us grief-stricken. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” says Msibi.
The MEC is urging the public not to risk their lives by crossing local rivers and dams as they are currently overflowing.
The heavy rains were a result of Cyclone Eloise, which also battered parts of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga residents are bracing themselves for Tropical Storm Eloise, which is expected to hit the local shores on Sunday.
Heavy rains and floods are expected to lash the Mopani and Vhembe districts, among other parts of the country.
The two municipalities say they are prepared for any disaster that may occur and are working closely with the national disaster management team.
Mopani District Spokesperson, Odas Ngobeni, says they have roped in the health, and environmental health practitioners to make sure that the municipality observes lockdown regulations such as social distancing, in cases where individuals may be required to be evacuated to community halls.
The Vhembe District Municipality Spokesperson, Matodzi Ralushai, is urging community members to remain vigilant at all times.
In KwaZulu-Natal, meteorologist Mkhushulwa Msimango says the cyclone could wreak havoc in parts of the province.
Msimango is also warning people to be extra careful on Sunday and Monday.
Meanwhile, power utility, Eskom, says it has made contingency plans to mitigate any risks and the possible impact on infrastructure and the provision of electricity.
Mpumalanga, where most of the power utility’s power stations are situated, is one of the areas expected to be hard hit by the storm. Eskom Spokesperson, Sikonathi Mantshantsha, says the power stations will implement wet coal contingency plans should the need arise.
“Typically, heavy rainfall for four or less days does not pose a significant threat to power station operations, but continuous heavy rainfall for more than four days does hamper coal handling at the power stations and the mines supplying them. There are some power stations in the Mpumalanga area that have been experiencing ash dam constraints. Continuous heavy rainfall over these power stations could hamper operations and recovery efforts already under way,” says Mantshantsha.
Disaster management authorities in Mpumalanga are also on high alert.
The cyclone is currently lashing parts of Mozambique. – Additional reporting by Maputuland FM News Editor, Philani Zulu.
There is a lot of rain, which has led to flooding in Buzi and Beira. The full extent of the impact is still unknown. However, it is reported that the strength of the wind was not as high as anticipated. pic.twitter.com/wEK4yEls6r
Storm #Eloise made landfall in Mozambique. Initial indication suggests Buzi & Nhamatanda of Sofala province with thousands of hectares flooded. #RC teams on the ground doing assesments. South Africa & Zimbabwe predicted to be affected in coming hours. @IFRCAfricapic.twitter.com/aVfobibJ9Z
