At least five people were killed and hundreds left homeless when heavy storms swept through KwaZulu-Natal on Monday night.
Five people in the Umhlahlani area in Ulundi died in a fire and six others were seriously injured when lightning struck their hut and caused a blaze that razed it.
The two rivers in the area burst their banks.
At least 500 people in the Midlands area were left homeless as the storm lashed the Greytown area.
Police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said the victims were taken to the local commando base, civic hall and town hall.
Businesses, schools and traffic signs were battered by the storm.
Naidoo said mopping-up operations were under way in the Nhlalakahle area in the Midlands. — Sapa