KZN MEC Buthelezi urges parents to protect children as heavy rains persist. Image: SABC News.
(The Post News)- KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged parents and motorists to prioritize safety as heavy rains continue to lash the province.
His warning follows days of heavy rainfall across KZN, with the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issuing a Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms expected to last through the week.
Buthelezi said disaster management teams remain on standby to respond to emergencies, but he highlighted that communities must take proactive measures to prevent tragedies. “The driving conditions remain very dangerous in KwaZulu-Natal due to the heavy rains.
He further urged KZN residents to remain indoors and stay away from low-lying areas, particularly school children. He highlighted dangers, saying that parents need to ensure that their children do not cross rivers.
“We urge our motorists to keep a safe following distance because the weather is still going to be inclement for quite a few days,” Buthelezi cautioned.
SAWS Warns of Severe Weather Conditions in Summer
Meanwhile, over the course of the late spring and summer, some provinces, including KZN, are expected to experience more than usual rainfall, according to the SAWS in its seasonal forecast report for summer.
According to SAWS, above-normal rainfall is also anticipated, which might be an advantage to water reservoirs and dams in some locations, even though a hotter than usual season is also anticipated. This is because the region’s dam levels have shown improvement, with Pongolapoort Dam at 93% and Goedertrouw Dam at 95% this week.
The report comes as significant rainfall has been falling over the previous few days in portions of the KZN, notably the Zululand region. SAWS cautioned that these circumstances may increase the danger of natural disasters, particularly flooding, and public health issues.
SAWS noted that with the recent rapid cooling, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is in a neutral condition—if current forecasts are accurate, a small La Niña event could occur within the next month.
The weather service further elaborated that this is likely to raise the risk of floods in the summer months in South Africa and result in generally favourable rainfall conditions for the summer rainfall zones in the north-eastern regions of the nation.
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