A six-year-old boy died after he was struck by lightning and suffered severe head injuries when a rondavel house caught fire and collapsed on the 12-member family gathered to mourn a senior family member’s death over the weekend.
UMlalazi Municipality spokesperson Nonhlanhla Jele said persistent inclement weather claimed Banele Mpungose’s life from the Mpofu area under the uMlalazi Municipality.
The Sishi family said a roof pole piece lodged itself into Banele’s head. He died while being taken to hospital. Two other victims were receiving treatment in hospital.
uMlalazi Mayor Queen Xulu extended condolences to the Sishi family and urged residents to exercise extreme caution as the area is prone to natural disasters.
Jele said the severe weather is expected to persist until Wednesday, with forecasts indicating a high likelihood of disruptive rainfall, causing potential flooding and damage to property and infrastructure.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) had issued several severe weather alerts for many parts of the country in the past couple of days.
Following the storms that caused power outages in KZN, Eskom in the province said technicians have been working tirelessly to repair faults that disrupted power supply in several parts of KZN.
Meanwhile, on Monday, IPSS Medical Rescue’s Kelsey-Jae Meyrick urged motorists to exercise caution when driving in this inclement weather and delay any travel as much as possible until the weather clears after two people were killed in separate accidents.
Meyrick said IPSS Medical Rescue received reports of multiple motor vehicle accidents during the day.
“Sadly, two people died in separate accidents whilst multiple others sustained injuries ranging from moderate to minor.”
Saturday Star