Twelve people killed in the FLOODS around the country

At least 12 people were killed around the country due to the floods, authorities said on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Wednesday, 15 February 2023

HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED THE REST OF THE WEEK

The bad weather is expected to last for the rest of the week. The rains struck east, north, and south, claiming lives in four of South Africa’s nine provinces, said the department in charge of disaster management, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA)

COGTA spokesman Lungi Mtshali told the AFP that the Kruger National Park was badly affected.

“Mpumalanga province, in northeast South Africa, seems to be hardest hit so far. Kruger is really bad,” said Mtshali.

ALSO READ: Floods: At least two confirmed dead in Mpumalanga

DEATH TOLL RISING SINCE MONDAY

Mshali said that the death toll had risen to twelve, up from seven on Monday.

The Kruger is crossed by several rivers, which have been struck by heavy rains since last weekend, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

“Movement inside the park is restricted as some roads are damaged,” said Isaac Phaahla, a spokesman for the national parks’ authority, SANParks. Several camps inside the reserve have been evacuated for safety measures.

ALSO READ: Family narrowly escapes drowning after floods wash away their vehicle

HEAVY RAINS SINCE LAST WEEK

Heavy rains started to fall last week after a ‘cold snap in the middle of the austral summer’, according to SAWS. Some areas saw more than 20 centimetres of rain in one day, SAWS forecaster Puseletso Mofokeng told AFP.

The floods are expected to last for the rest of the week, Mofokeng said. He warns that there will most likely be more flooding.

ALSO READ: National State of Disaster declared over devastating impact of flooding

On Monday, the presidency declared a state of national disaster to coordinate the response, and provide “temporary shelters, food and blankets” to the homeless.