Disaster management teams have been dispatched to Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal where families have been displaced owing to torrential rainfall‚ which has left large parts of the town flooded.
Newcastle mayor Makhosini Nkosi said the Ncandu river banks have burst and the Ngane river is overflowing.
"There is flooding around the taxi rank‚ businesses in town and parts of the central business district. About 20 houses flooded in Suryaville‚ Paradise and Fairleigh. Other areas that have been badly affected is Madadeni and Osisweni. In Madadeni two informal houses were demolished.
"Four halls in the town are being used to house about 24 families‚ who have been provided with necessities such as blankets and food parcels‚" said Nkosi.
He said about eight families‚ who were forced to leave their homes because of rising waters‚ chose to stay with family and friends.
Nkosi said he contacted the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Nomusa Dube-Ncube‚ who dispatched a team from the disaster management unit.
"People are being warned not to cross rivers and streams as the flow of water is very heavy‚" said Nkosi.
He said the water levels at Ntshingwayo Dam‚ which supplies Newcastle‚ Dannhauser and Dundee‚ has risen to 87.3% and is expected to increase.
- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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