Strong gusts rip through KZN Midlands, leaving property damage and uprooted trees

Damage to state property and local offices

At the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Allerton Provincial Veterinary Laboratory, five state-owned vehicles were damaged when trees fell during the strong gusts. The department said the Hilton office also suffered significant impact, with uprooted trees damaging infrastructure and vehicles, including two state vehicles and a privately owned car.

Response and cleanup under way

The department’s Assets workstream is leading cleanup operations to clear debris and restore infrastructure such as damaged carports. MEC for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, commented on the wider effects of the severe weather and fires.

“We acknowledge the devastation caused by the runaway fires in other areas. We extend our sympathies to the farmers affected. In 2024, we provided thousands of bales to assist farmers in need to offset their losses.”

Mthethwa added that they are currently monitoring the situation closely and confirmed that, despite the damage to assets and infrastructure, there are no casualties reported. Officials are on the ground assessing the extent of the damage, including to vehicles parked at departmental offices.

National Disaster classification

The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) has classified the recent severe weather events affecting several provinces as a national disaster. The NDMC said the events included torrential rainfall, severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and snowfall that struck large parts of the country from 4 May 2026.

“The classification follows widespread severe weather conditions experienced from 4 May 2026, including heavy rainfall, flooding, thunderstorms, damaging winds and snowfall across the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces,” said Dr Elias Sithole, Head of the NDMC.

Dr Sithole said the classification, made in terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), will enable government to intensify coordination and strengthen ongoing response and recovery efforts across all spheres of government.

Wider impacts reported

The NDMC described the recent weather system as having left communities submerged, homes and roads destroyed, and critical and essential services disrupted across several provinces. The department and national authorities are coordinating assessments and recovery actions.

Reporting date: 11 May 2026.