Officials from OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape are assessing the damage by a storm which hit Mthatha and surrounding villages on Saturday.
Municipal spokesperson Ayongezwa Lungisa says a number of properties and infrastructure have been damaged.
Qweqwe, Ntokozweni and Sgubudo are some of the villages that were mostly affected by the storm.
“There has not been any fatality that has been caused by the heavy storm. As yet we can’t confirm it as a disaster, until our people that are on the ground can say how much people have been affected,” says Lungisa.
A number of people have been admitted to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha.
Provincial Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo says damage caused by the storm made it difficult for emergency services to reach villages on Saturday night.
“A total of 18 people were affected with one person critically injured. Those injured included children. They were all taken to Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha. It was difficult for emergency personnel to immediately access the village due to the blockages that they experienced there, and there were also electric cables that were flying very low.”
