The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Level 9 weather warning for heavy rain and flooding in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces as a low-pressure system continues to wreak havoc across the country.
The warning, which affects the OR Tambo District Municipality, comes as widespread flooding threatens roads, settlements and essential services, including water and electricity supply.
SAWS has urged residents to postpone travel and avoid crossing rivers and swollen streams.
“Monitor the weather conditions and if needs be, identify areas to safely store valuable items from flood water,” the weather service said.
South Africa has been experiencing erratic weather patterns, with more frequent and intense weather events across the country.
To help manage these conditions, the SAWS has developed a detailed warning system to help the public to understand the likelihood and severity of weather events.
It categorises weather warnings using a colour-coded system, where weather conditions classified under yellow alert are those considered to have low to moderate impact.
Orange warning alert is for weather events expected to have significant impact, while the red alert is for those with severe impact.
The warnings are also ranked from Level 1 to Level 10, with Levels 1 to 4 reserved for those weather events generally classified under yellow, meaning minor disruptions may occur.
Levels 5 to 8 fall under orange, indicating significant disruptions, while Levels 9 and 10 are classified as red, meaning severe conditions that could cause major damage and loss of life.
Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Inspectorate has closed sections of the main highway linking Cape Town to Durban due to heavy snowfall around Kokstad and Port Shepstone, causing major congestion.
Motor graders have been deployed to clear snow before it accumulates beyond 30cm in depth.
JN/APA