Infant Injured and 1 Die in Umgungundlovu During Severe Thunderstorms in KZN

• LightLighting injured three people and killed one during the heavy thunderstorms in KwaZulu-Natal
• The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs confirmed their deaths
• An infant was among those who were injured as a result of the thunderstorms that struck the province on 4 November

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

UMGUNGUNDLOVU, KWAZULU-NATAL — Three people, including an infant, were injured during the recent thunderstorms in the KWaZulu-Natal province. One person unfortunately lost their life.

1 died, 3 injured in thunderstorm

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the incident took place on the afternoon of 5 November 2024 in the Mooi-Mpofana Local Municipality in Umgungundlovu. Lighting struck one house, and one family member died while three others suffered significant injuries caused by the lighting.

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The department's spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, said that the province's COGTA MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi directed response teams to support the family recovering in hospital from their injuries.

On 3 November, the area was hit by severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Ten wards in the Msunduzi Local Municipality were damaged. Briefly News previously reported that a school and a hospital were among those damaged during the floods.

The South African Weather Service issued a Yellow Level 4 warning of thunderstorms in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the country. The thunderstorms were expected to cause infrastructure damage, including roads and informal settlements.

"Assessments of the extent of the damage are ongoing, and efforts are being made to restore normality to the affected areas as swiftly as possible," Mzila pointed out.

Snowfall predicted despite heatwave

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the South African Weather Service warned that snowfall would disrupt the Eastern Cape.

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Snow fell in parts of the Eastern Cape despite a heatwave sweeping across the country. The juxtaposition of snowfall during a heatwave left many South Africans amused and commenting on the erratic nature of South African weather.

Source: Briefly News