ALTHOUGH there were no fatalities when heavy winds hit KZN, several houses, schools and even salons had their roofs blown away.
This resulted in damage to about 80 houses and four kids getting injured.
The KZN Provincial Disaster Management Centre continues to assess the damage, while mop-up operations are underway.
KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) spokesman Senzele Mzila said the province has not recorded any fatalities, however, four kids, who were injured when a school's roof was blown away in the Ugu district, are recovering.
Mzila said the strong winds caused damage in various areas, with Ugu district being significantly affected.
"Over 80 households were impacted as the winds blew off roofs. Municipalities, working with Eskom, have managed to restore power in many communities. We anticipate that most communities will have electricity restored. Eskom technicians continue to work diligently repairing damage caused by the recent severe weather, which disrupted power supply across several areas of KZN," said Mzila.
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He said while some areas have been restored, the persistent weather conditions, as well as the extent of the damages and access challenges have hampered restoration efforts.
"In terms of public infrastructure, schools have been considerably affected. Our interim reports indicate that 68 schools across nine districts sustained damage. The majority were reported in Ugu district, where 38 schools were affected. Our teams also responded to the Mpumuza area under Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg, where 31 households were significantly impacted," he said.
Mzila said the strong winds blew off roofs, leaving families displaced, adding that their teams continue to provide the necessary support while assessments continue.
He said the N2 and R56 in the far south have been reopened. This will help road users and enable Eskom access other communities to continue power restoration efforts.
"As the cold weather persists in various areas, we urge communities to keep warm, follow safety protocols when making fires and stay updated on weather alerts," he said.
A worker at a salon in KwaMashu, Nonhlanhla Mchunu said the building's roof was blown away and this affected her work negatively.
"I ended up contacting my clients, asking them to come to my house because I couldn't work at the salon. I hope it will be fixed soon so that I can go back to work," she said.
