Persistent heavy rains in SA classified as national disaster
The severe weather events that have been occurring in South Africa have been classified as a national disaster.
Parts of the country have been battered by heavy rains, causing flooding and damaging property.
The Cooperative Governance Department says the National Disaster Management Centre is still receiving reports on the extent of the damage from affected provinces.
The department says the disaster management centre decided on the classification because the extent of the damage exceeds the capacity of affected municipalities to deal with.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Ladysmith, Msinga and several other areas have been affected.
Last week, the provincial government said it would ask the national government to declare a state of disaster in KZN due the storms.
It says over R3.3 billion will be needed to fix the damage caused by the inclement weather in recent weeks.
Government says so far, 25 people have died in incidents related to the weather.
