Devastating floods that hit Durban over the weekend have increased pressure on the government to declare a state of disaster across KwaZulu-Natal province.
According to authorities, five people were killed in eThekwini and currently two people are missing, possibly swept away by floodwaters.
According to the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, this severe storm system left a path of destruction in eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Ndwedwe municipalities.
On Sunday, emergency services from the police, affected municipalities and private companies continued their search and rescue operations after Saturday evening’s storm, which caused flooding of houses and roads, landslides and the removal of cars.
Affected areas include KwaDukuza (formerly called Stanger), Verulam, Tongaat, Phoenix, uMhlanga, uMdloti and parts of southern Durban.
Residents were evacuated as homes and roads began to flood.
Many of the affected areas were plunged into darkness as power infrastructure was damaged.
On Sunday, many roads, bridges and junctions, including Ridge Road, the M4 and M41 as well as many roads in uMhlanga, remained closed due to potholes and parts of the roads washed away.
Councilor Nicole Bollman, representing Ward 35, said many areas in uMhlanga had been affected by the storm.
“There are many neighborhoods with a number of roads that have been closed due to a significant number of potholes. When we visited, we found that some parts of the roads had simply been washed away and that they needed to be secured,” she said.
“In the La Lucia area, a resident was shocked by the damage caused to his property on which he recently spent at least R4 million on renovations.
“In another neighborhood, we had to evacuate 10 homes. Residents are working together to help each other. Some areas are without electricity and water, while others are without both.
“We have seen the authorities in eThekwini working to restore electricity and water as best they can. It’s really bad right now, it’s like taking one step forward and taking ten steps back,” Bollman added.
Councilor Nkosiyezwe Mhlongo, representing Ward 59, said it was “devastating” that a mother and her four-year-old child perished when their house collapsed during the storm.
“There has been terrible damage to many homes and infrastructure in the area. We have opened two reception centers for the community. We are saddened by the loss of two people in our neighborhood; they were sleeping when the storm started. We are requesting the intervention of disaster management services to assist the family,” Mhlongo said.
Councilor Yogis Govender, representing Ward 60, said the damage in Tongaat included landslides, property damage, washed away vehicles and submerged bridges. According to her, the region is regularly affected by flooding because it is located on a flood plain.
“There are two people unlocated in Verulam. Residents are without water and have to rely on a water tanker, in addition to damage to their properties. Verulam has experienced numerous road closures, landslides and power outages.
The surprise storm and the extent of the heavy rain caught residents off guard, as neither the South African Weather Service nor eThekweni Disaster Management Services had issued storm and flood warnings.
“The city’s disaster management has completely lacked responses and activation of critical aid,” Govender said.
“Dozens of calls to the emergency call center were not answered and in some cases emergency services simply said they could not access northern areas such as Verulam and Tongaat due to “This is in stark contrast to community and private search and rescue efforts on the ground. They worked tirelessly into the early hours to help in the pouring rain and in areas at risk of flooding.”
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperation and Governance said disaster response teams were working to provide emergency assistance, including blankets, mattresses and “B-Boxes” containing hygiene products personal.
The municipality has sent water tankers to affected areas and work crews are clearing debris from roads, including fallen trees.
“Our preliminary reports indicate that in eThekwini Municipality, 250 families and 1,000 individuals are directly affected at the moment; 70 families and 300 individuals in KwaDukuza and another 70 families in Ndwedwe,” the department said in a statement.
Minister Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi said she was devastated by another weather-related disaster in the province and her ministry was coordinating response and relief efforts with municipalities, Eskom and the departments of Social Development, Home Affairs, Human Settlements and Education to provide a “comprehensive response”.