UMzinyathi District Municipality mayor, Petros Mthandeni Ngubane, says frequent storms have devastated Msinga in northern KwaZulu-Natal, with the latest storm affecting 137 houses in Thulini, Fabeni, Lwezulu and Ngqungqulwini.

The storm on Sunday also caused severe flooding leaving many residents in distress.

According to the uMzinyathi Municipality’s Disaster Unit, the storm has affected an estimated 357 people, but ongoing assessments may revise this figure.

"We as a municipality are getting these families immediate help in collaboration with the Msinga Municipality while we are waiting for CoGTA," Ngubane added.

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, visited Hlahlindlela in Abaqulusi Local Municipality, which was also affected by a recent storm.

The storm uprooted trees, damaged roofs, and disrupted electricity and water infrastructure, affecting large parts of the province, including uThukela and uMzinyathi.

CoGTA spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila confirmed that assessments are ongoing and the number of affected households could still increase.

"The inclement weather over the weekend affected large parts of the province, including uThukela and uMzinyathi, where hundreds of houses were severely damaged," Mzila said.

In Msinga, Wards 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 21 were the hardest hit, with 467 houses destroyed. In Abaqulusi, Wards 14 to 19 saw over 200 households affected. The MEC, along with Eskom, the Red Cross, and other social partners, distributed emergency relief to affected families.

Municipal teams are urgently working to restore power and essential services. "Municipal technical services teams are working around the clock, together with Eskom, to restore power supply to communities," Mzila said.

"This severe thunderstorm comes as the province is already dealing with R3 billion in damages caused by inclement weather conditions between December and January, with the majority of the damage affecting public infrastructure such as roads," Mzila added.

THE MERCURY