Floods in South Africa by Steph Ball
Heavy rain and storms have wreaked havoc across parts of the southern Cape of South Africa after days of continuous rain.
As heavy rain lashed the region, floods quickly arose forcing thousands to leave their homes. Two people drowned in floodwaters as they tried to leave their home along the Garden Route region of the south coast.
Flash floods made road conditions treacherous in the region with another three people losing their lives in a car accident between Riverside and Ladysmith as a river of floodwater swept over the road.
Some of the worst affected areas were the Plettenberg Bay area and Knysna, where hundreds of homes had flooded and cars were seen floating down the roads. Beaches along the Southern Cape were strewed with debris as the floodwaters poured across the beaches out to sea.
Violent thunderstorms in the north of KwaZulu-Natal also claimed one life and destroyed around 100 homes leaving scores homeless.
Much of the heavy rain has now begun to ease, which is good news for clean up operations, and for officials to assess the widespread damage.
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