• A warning has been issued for parts of Zululand and the King Cetshwayo District.
• Rainfall is expected to subside in the rest of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
• Disaster management teams and emergency services remain on high alert.

While large parts of KwaZulu-Natal can expect some respite from heavy rains and flooding, a warning has been issued for parts of Zululand and the King Cetshwayo District.

The rains wreaked havoc across the province over the weekend.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued an orange Level-6 warning for disruptive rain over the extreme northeastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday. The rain could lead to flooding of roads, settlements and bridges, and could result in mudslides.

Scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers can be expected, and residents should be cautious in low-lying areas and around rivers and streams.

Flooding, fallen trees and mudslides may cause damage to municipal infrastructure and traffic disruptions, the SAWS warned.

A yellow Level-2 warning has also been issued for disruptive rain and localised flooding over the northeastern parts of Mpumalanga.

The rest of the province will have some respite from severe weather that saw hundreds of residents evacuated from their homes over the weekend, with cold and overcast weather forecast for much of the province instead.

At a media briefing on Sunday afternoon, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the municipality had not received a comprehensive report on the impact of the latest heavy rains, but as “reports come in, a worrying picture is, however, emerging”.

READ | Three bodies found next to river, hundreds evacuated as floods wreak havoc in KwaZulu-Natal

Disaster management teams and emergency services officials were placed on high alert after heavy downpours in the province.

Several roads were damaged and had to be closed. Kaunda said hundreds of people were evacuated and placed in centres across the province.

Kaunda said the Zululand District was experiencing heavy rainfall and was being closely monitored.

He said the Ilembe District was hugely affected, with a number of families left homeless and the road infrastructure affected.

On Sunday, Kaunda visited uMdloti to assess the extent of the damage following the heavy rains.

“We had to prioritise visiting uMdloti given the severity of the damage in this area. Our water treatment plant has been damaged and this will affect our ability to provide water to residents in this area. I call upon residents to be patient as we work speedily to restore key services,” said Kaunda.

He said municipal emergency services would remain on high alert even though the intensity of the rain in most parts of the eThekwini metro had subsided.

Meanwhile, eThekwini head of disaster management Vincent Ngubane said three bodies were found next to a river in the KwaSeme area on Saturday afternoon. He said the bodies had been taken to the Phoenix mortuary.

“What we have discovered is that two of those bodies had gunshot wounds, and it is alleged that they were maybe killed somewhere else and dumped next to the river. We are still waiting [for the] SA Police Service to confirm that,” Ngubane said.

Ngubane said 16 disaster management coordinators were placed on standby to proactively monitor high-risk areas and respond where required.

He said the parks, recreation and culture unit also attended to fallen trees.