By John Ikani
South Africa has been hit with heavy rains that have caused flooding in seven of its nine provinces, leaving at least seven people dead and causing damage to roads and bridges.
The national weather service predicts that the rainfall will continue. In response, the government has declared a national state of disaster to allow for an intensive, coordinated response to the floods, which have mainly affected the east coast.
Although, disaster management centers have reported seven deaths, a national toll has not yet been released.
COGTA, the provincial disaster management department, reported that five people died in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province, including a newborn baby.
There are also reports of several people missing, after attempting to cross swollen rivers. Two additional deaths were reported in northeastern Mpumalanga province.
In northern Limpopo, a hospital, roads, and bridges were damaged, and vehicles were washed away. The statement from the presidency notes that farmers have suffered crop and livestock losses.
Last year, South Africa faced its worst floods in recent history, which resulted in the deaths of more than 400 people in the third-largest city, Durban, and surrounding areas.
