Mop-up operations underway in storm-hit KZN
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has initiated comprehensive mop-up operations across the province following Thursday’s severe weather conditions.
The torrential rainfall resulted in the loss of life, with a woman succumbing after her vehicle was swept off a bridge in Pinetown.
The department’s spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, said that search and rescue teams successfully recovered both the vehicle and the deceased’s body in the early hours of Friday morning.
“Currently, the intense downpours wreaked havoc across the coastal regions, leading to widespread flooding, uprooted trees and significant disruptions to electricity supply in numerous communities. Technical teams are working to restore power to affected areas.”
Meanwhile, South African Weather Service forecaster Nhlanhla Sithole said that it's difficult to pinpoint the reason behind the recurring flooding in KZN.
"That's a difficult question to answer. I know you want a straightforward answer, but it could be either climate change or climate variability. I think this is not a new thing. We've had cases of flooding even way before 2022, as old as in the 18th century, actually.
"So that would be as a result of climate variability, but at the same time, we can't deny that climate change is taking place as well, and the frequency of these incidences is quite high as of late, so, like, I'm saying, there's no answer that's cast in stone that for sure this is what's happening. The answer could be in both climate variability and climate change."
