Reports of widespread damage amounting to millions of rands have been received from parts of the Eastern Cape due to a gale-force wind blowing in the region on Tuesday.
The worst hit areas are Port Elizabeth, the Gamtoos Valley and other coastal areas.
The Port Elizabeth weather office said that the wind was gusting at 130km per hour at one stage during the afternoon.
Reports have been received from Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay and St. Francis Bay of roofs being blown off. Walls and roofs have collapsed at Dimension Data and Cadbury’s in the city. There were also power cuts.
Poorer areas were especially hard hit with numerous shacks having been destroyed, leaving families destitute.
The city’s emergency services were being flooded with calls late on Tuesday afternoon and a number of road accidents have also been blamed on the wind.
The emergency services said it was the busiest they had been in years.
At the airport, the pilot of at least one airliner opted not to take off, while there has been no disruption of note in the harbour.
In the Gamtoos Valley, farmers were reporting severe damage to orchards, crops, property and farm equipment. – Sapa