6 people killed and R3.1 billion in damages: Heavy rains leave a trail of destruction in South Africa (WATCH VIDEO)

Persistent heavy rains have wreaked havoc in several provinces, leaving at least six people dead, houses submerged in water, road infrastructure damaged, and three border posts temporarily shut down.

KwaZulu-Natal has been the hardest hit, with co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi confirming the death toll had reached six on Thursday, including a child who was swept away while crossing a river in eShowe.

He said three people died in KwaMakhutha in eThekwini metro, when mudslides buried their house. Two other people were killed in their sleep in Ensimbini near Folweni and in KwaMakhutha after a wall collapsed on them, said Buthelezi.

In Amanzimtoti, uMlazi and Maqaqa Lifestyle, several houses collapsed. "The recent weather has taken a serious toll… [up to] 554 people were left homeless and are receiving ongoing support. The estimated cost of this damage is R3.1bn, with R2.2bn impacting public infrastructure and R261m affecting homes and businesses. This puts a huge strain on our resources, especially as our annual municipal infrastructure grant is also around R3bn," Buthelezi said.

He said 62 people have died between December and January this year from floods, while property worth R4.7bn has been damaged.

The SA Weather Service (Saws) has issued level 4 and 2 warning for Friday, which predicts that rain and thundershowers will continue in areas such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Mbombela, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Pietermaritzburg.

In the North West, venue operation centres were established to monitor inclement weather conditions and provide assistance where necessary, with the Border Management Authority saying last night it had temporarily closed Makgobistad and Derdepoort border posts due to floods. The Pont Drift border post in Limpopo was also closed.

At least 153 houses were damaged in Ramotshere, Ratlou, Ditsobotla, Tswaing, Bojanala, Moretele and Ruth Mompati municipalities. Cogta in the province said 79 mud houses were completely destroyed by heavy rains, and at least 30 people were displaced.

In Ratlou, two bridges were flooded and had become inaccessible.

"In Ramotshere, the municipality is providing warm food – three meals a day. Alimdaad Foundation assisted with blankets, sponges, nonperishable food packs and toiletry packs," said Cogta's Thebeetsile Keameditse.

Some 60 pupils from the Overvaal Skool hostel were evacuated, while 14 people in Elandheuwel were moved to alternative accommodation, according to Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality spokesperson Xolani Mndaweni. He said some pensioners at Panorama old age home in Ou Dorp, were relocated to nearby healthcare facilities after flooding.

Johan Hanekom, owner of a car repair shop in Klerksdorp, told Sowetan he was counting the cost of the heavy rains on his business which was flooded.

In Gauteng, Tshwane metro has activated a disaster operations centre to monitor and manage incidents as result of flooding. Areas including Mamelodi, Soshanguve, Hammanskraal, Centurion and Mabopane were the most affected. Houses were submerged in water and damaged, while in Montana homes were hit by a tornado on Tuesday.

"The Emergency Management Services will continue to monitor the weather reports and remain on high alert for any emergencies," Lindsay Mnguni from the Tshwane metro said.

"Residents are urged and encouraged to monitor short-term weather forecasts and any warnings or alerts issued by the SA Weather Service and other credible sources, and to immediately follow the recommended safety tips."

Climatologist Nomhle Ngwenya said climate change has resulted in weather patterns becoming disruptive as the heavy rainfall had resulted in flood events countrywide. She said heavy rainfall was to be expected because it is the summer months, where SA receives above normal rainfall patterns. "We are also in the La Niña season, which also brings in wet weather," she said.

"The situation is KZN is coupled by numerous factors such as lack of infrastructure development where bridges, roads are not maintained to be climate resilient. This makes it even more vulnerable during flood events, and poses a hazard to humans. The lack of adequate housing is also a huge issue as most of the people who were reported dead this week resided in informal settlements close to river banks."

In Limpopo, Vhembe, Waterberg and Mopani were the hardest-hit districts , according to Cogta spokesperson Tsakane Baloyi. Several roads in Sekhukhune and Mopani were washed away and some bridges had also collapsed.

In Mpumalanga, Cogta spokesperson Lindiwe Msibi confirmed that low-lying bridges connecting communities had been flooded but no serious incidents were reported.

Vanetia Phakula, senior forecaster at the Saws, said the rain was expected to clear over the weekend. “Saws will continue to monitor if there are any other systems that might cause havoc over interior provinces [Gauteng, North West, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga] and KZN,” she said.

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