KZN storms: Lightning strike kills learner
A learner has been killed by a lightning strike in the town of Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Grade 3 learner and two others were walking home from their Mandlamasha Primary School, in Dannhauser, during a thunderstorm when lightning struck the ground.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) said the child died at the scene, while the other two learners were rushed to hospital where they are recovering.
“It is deeply sad that such a young person has left us in a tragic manner. We express our deepest condolences to the family and we wish a speedy recovery to the other two learners that are in hospital. Our disaster team will reach out to the families as per our normal procedure to assist families affected by such incidents,” said Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi.
She said severe thunderstorms, gale-force winds, and lightning wreaked havoc in Dannhauser, Estcourt, Vryheid, and Ulundi.
Sithole-Moloi said several homes were damaged when roofs blew off.
“Our initial reports suggest that the most affected areas were Wembezi in Estcourt, under the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality, which was damaged by thunderstorms and strong winds; Nhlazatshe in Ulundi, damaged by strong winds and Ozwathini and Mhlongo farm under Abaqulusi Local Municipality, which were damaged by the hailstorm,” she said.
Disaster management teams are working to assist those left devastated by Monday’s inclement weather.
“We have coordinated with other departments to come to the aid of affected families. Some families have lost their valuables such as furniture important documents and medications. We are engaging with the Department of Health, Home Affairs, and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to assist with the replacement of important documents and medication,” the MEC said.
-IOL
In other news – Photos: A look into Enhle Mbali’s vacation in Kenya
Jealous down, when we are to talk about people who are enjoying and living life to the fullest, definitely popular South African actress and model, Enhle Mbali is part of that list. With the year starting, she decided to kick it off with a vacation spree to different African countries, and her social media posts, show she is having a good time.
4 weeks ago, she began with Botswana, then later on jumped into Zimbabwe, and now she is in Kenya. As an African, it is good to have an experience of other cultures, and beliefs in the continent. Read More
