South Africa declares natural disaster as flooding kills at least 10

JOHANNESBURG — At least 10 people are dead with many homes destroyed in flooding caused by torrential rains across six provinces in South Africa that have hit informal settlements especially hard.

South African authorities have declared a natural disaster for the flooding, thunderstorms, high winds and even snowfall that have affected parts of the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces since May 4.

The declaration enables the government to use emergency funds and other resources to respond.

Cape Town was badly affected, and the Western Cape provincial government has ordered the temporary closure of schools and parts of the city's Table Mountain tourist attraction.

Local officials there on Tuesday said at least 26 informal settlements around the city had been affected by flooding, with over 10,000 structures damaged.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of at least 10 lives due to the severe weather as winter in the Southern Hemisphere begins.

He said authorities are "making the best use of science to pre-empt some of these events and to respond to the aftermath.”

Experts have said severe floods across Southern Africa are intensifying, driven by extreme weather patterns. Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced unusually heavy rains in recent months, with the region’s worst flooding in years.

In January, South Africa declared a national disaster over torrential rains and floods that killed at least 30 people in the north, damaged thousands of homes and washed away roads and bridges.