News24 | 62-year-old woman killed in South Coast flooding

One woman died as floods hit KwaZulu-Natal following heavy rain.

• The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast was lashed by heavy rains and floods at the weekend.
• A 62-year-old woman lost her life.
• Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli visited the area on Monday.

A 62-year-old woman lost her life in the violent rains that hit the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast at the weekend.

The popular holiday town of Margate was particularly hard-hit, with significant damage to infrastructure, including businesses, homes and roads.

The deluge started late on Sunday afternoon.

By Sunday night, no fatalities had been reported and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi said in a statement that he was “profoundly relieved”.

READ | Search for missing three after car swept away by floodwaters in Amanzimtoti

However, reports surfaced overnight that there had been a death and on Monday, Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli’s office confirmed this.

“The Cele family of Bhomela, Ward 24, is mourning the loss of Gogo Cele, who passed on when rains wreaked havoc in Margate,” it said in a statement.

Ntuli had visited the area earlier to assess the damage, and spent time with the grieving family.

In Amanzimtoti, just south of Durban, meanwhile, search efforts for three people who went missing after their car was swept away by floodwaters, were still ongoing on Monday afternoon.

ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson earlier said reports indicated that the car was carrying five people but two had managed to escape.

On Monday afternoon, however, he said it had subsequently emerged that there were, in fact, a total of six occupants, with three having escaped.