Newcastle Residents Recall Flood Trauma As KwaZulu-Natal’s Relentless Rain Raises Fresh Concerns
- KwaZulu-Natal continues to experience heavy rainfall, prompting fears of flooding in some areas of the province
- The South African Weather Service has already issued an Orange Level 5 warning for potential flooding of roads
- Newcastle was battered by floods following a sudden downpour on Sunday, 9 November 2025
- Newcastle residents spoke to Briefly News about the flood and the damage and trauma it left behind
Source: Facebook
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
KWAZULU-NATAL – Emergency Services remain on high alert in the province as it continues to experience continuous rainfall.
The South African Weather Service has issued an Orange Level 5 warning for potential flooding of roads, bridges and low-lying areas.
Large parts of the province have been experiencing continuous rainfall over 15 and 16 November 2025, leading to fears of further flooding as experienced by Newcastle on Sunday, 9 November 2025.
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Newcastle residents recall traumatic flooding experience
The town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal experienced terrible flooding on 9 November, with numerous parts of the Central Business District (CBD) under water.
The flooding, which caused damage at an Old Age Home, businesses, and residential areas, led the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to dispatch disaster management teams to the area.
Speaking to Briefly News, Bruce Douglas noted with concern that there could be more flooding.
“Flooding is a concern, especially for the lower lying areas like Paradise and central, which were underwater only last week. Our roads are also in a bad state, even before the rains, but now there are sections that have collapsed,” he noted.
Chantall Jacobs, a resident who was personally affected by the flooding, detailed to Briefly News how a normal Sunday soon turned into something scary.
“The experience was scary. I think mostly just because absolutely no one was prepared for what was going to happen that day. There were no weather or flood warnings. So it came from absolutely nowhere,” she said.
Source: UGC
Jacobs explained that the rain wasn't different to any other stormy day, except for the weirdest hail, so many people didn’t expect anything bad to happen. It was then that chaos erupted and the flooding began. She recalled how the wall in her yard collapsed and, within minutes, her home flooded. Every other unit in the complex also flooded.
“I think also the most traumatic part of last weekend was the minute every unit in our complex building started flooding, all of a sudden people were screaming for help, and you could hear the panic and fear in their voices. But everyone pulled together and helped each other,” she explained. Jacobs added that the town was experiencing steady rainfall this weekend, but there were no reports of rainfall yet.
Level 9 storm warning issued for Gauteng
Briefly News reported that a level 9 storm warning was in effect for much of Gauteng and other parts of the country.
The weather service announced that people in low-lying areas, especially near riverbanks and wetlands, were advised to relocate.
Authorities have warned that rapidly rising water levels could lead to sudden and potentially life-threatening flooding.
Source: Briefly News
