Overview
- SAWS, which issued the Orange Level 5 impact-based warning on Friday, said the alert is valid from 13:00 until midnight on Saturday and targets parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State.
- Forecasters warned storms could produce heavy downpours that flood roads and low-lying settlements plus large hail that can damage roofs, vehicles and crops.
- The warning maps name interior towns such as Howick, Ladysmith, Newcastle and Ermelo while Yellow-level alerts cover Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and coastal areas including Durban and Cape Town.
- Authorities advised residents to avoid driving through floodwater, secure loose items, shelter vehicles, move livestock to higher ground and to monitor updates from local disaster management and SAWS.
- Beyond immediate damage, the storms risk short-term power and communications outages and disrupted travel and emergency response in affected districts while separate fire-danger warnings remain in parts of the Northern Cape and central provinces.