The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms set to sweep across several provinces on Thursday and Friday, raising concerns about potential damages and safety hazards.
Residents of the Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo are urged to prepare as these storms are expected to bring heavy rains and strong damaging winds.
SAWS predicts that localised flooding may occur in susceptible areas, impacting roads, bridges, and dirt paths.
In contrast, parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape face an extreme fire danger warning, compounding the challenges presented by unpredictable weather conditions.
Forecast update for today and tomorrow, 27-28 February 2025:
Isolated showers and thundershowers over the central and eastern parts of the country.
⚠️Severe Thunderstorms⛈#saws #saweather pic.twitter.com/nx0KPhbdGy
Meanwhile, mop up operations are continuing in Durban following heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday.
IOL reported that five people lost their lives when they were washed away in a flash flood in Lamontville, they are: Zondeni Gcabashe, 60, Lucia Ndobongo, 56, Snokhanyo Dingiswayo, 16, Anathi Dingiswayo, 11, and Lethu Dingiswayo, 5.
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A sixth person, from Chatsworth, was also killed.
On Wednesday, a delegation made up of KwaZulu-Natal local government officials visited the areas to inspect the damage.