JOHANNESBURG – Two more people have been confirmed dead in the Northern Cape as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the country.
This brings the number of fatalities to three after a 12-year-old girl was being swept by water in the Taung, North West on Sunday.
Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre confirmed that two bodies were recovered by police in the Northern Cape.
He said all joint operation centres in high-risk areas have been activated as several provinces brace for an Orange level 8 storm warning.
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“We have been communicating earlier warnings to communities to make sure that they are safe. Up to now, we have made sure that we don’t have a situation which we experienced in the previous year.”
He said disaster management teams were still on the ground assessing the damage.
“The infrastructure in the North West and Northern Cape has been damaged. We are monitoring the Western Cape as well specifically in the Garden Route as well as other coastal areas.”
The South African Weather Service has warned of disruptive rainfall, severe flooding and dangerous storm surges. The Western Cape and Eastern Cape are expected to be the hardest hit.
The severe weather is expected to peak on Wednesday and continue into Thursday.