OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 6.00pm.
AT least nine people have drowned and thousands more have been left homeless in renewed countrywide flooding since the weekend.
In the Qwa Qwa region of the Free State, at least 420 families have been left homeless and provincial authorities say they fear further dage and fatalities in the area if the Fikapatso Dam officials are forced to open sluice gates.
The Weather Bureau in pretoria says meanwhile that there’s a further 70% chance of further rain in the mountainous Puthaditjhaba area in Qwa Qwa where three rivers have burst their banks.
Defence force helicopters have been sent from Bloemfontein to help with rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, in Northern Province, two Zimbabwean citizens drowned while trying to cross the flooded Limpopo river at the weekend.
And at Matanda village in Venda, a 5-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters. His body was later found at Rabali bridge.
Several roads in the province are closed to heavy vehicles and motorists are being warned to be very careful.
Police said mudslides in places on the Magoebaskloof road between Tzaneen and Pietersburg has resulted in only one lane being open to traffic.
The road between Messina and Louis Trichardt is till closed after the Sand River bridge was washed away several weeks ago.
In KwaZulu-Natal, at least three people drowned and thousands have been left homeless as a result of the weekend’s severe flooding.