A disaster-management team was on full alert in eastern Mpumalanga as Cyclone Favio hit Mozambique on Thursday.
The South African Weather Service said there was no immediate threat from Favio, which made landfall at about noon.
At 3pm on Thursday, the weather service said the cyclone was moving north-west into the Mozambican interior with no effect on South Africa. ”There is no immediate threat in South Africa,” a forecaster said.
Mpumalanga local government and housing department spokesperson Simphiwe Kunene said the disaster-management team was set up due to initial concerns of possible effects in areas around Nkomazi and the Kruger National Park.
Residents in areas bordering Mozambique were warned to be on the alert.
The provincial government was also in contact with the National Disaster Management Centre.
The Associated Press reported that Favio destroyed some homes and ripped the roofs off others as it moved ashore at Vilankulo, south of Beira. The Mozambican government had evacuated many of the people in the area, taking them to higher ground further inland.
The cyclone hit an area already flooded from the torrential rains that have drenched central Mozambique since January. — Sapa