The 2024 school year got off to rough start yesterday, with schools having to be evacuated and release pupils early at 1pm due to heavy rainfall and a level 5 weather warning.
Torrential rains pelted the province from about mid-day, with eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, Ugu, iLembe, and King Cetshwayo districts being severely affected.
Areas in Tongaat, Umhlanga, Hillcrest and Springfield were hardest hit, with roads and bridges being washed away and flooded.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education issued a directive for all pupils and staff to be released by 1pm.
Department spokesperson Muzi Mhlambi said it was imperative that schools and offices adhered to guidelines issued in the event of extreme rainfall, wind or other natural disaster that may threaten the lives of learners, teachers and officials following the April 2022 floods.
Mr Mhlambi said the threat included pupils and staff not being able to return home or to school in the case of road infrastructure damage. This also included the delivery of food items for pupils.
KZN premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube commended the rapid response teams which were formed to deal with the impact of the disruptive weather in the province.
The Premier, however, said that the inclement weather should not dampen the jubilation that accompanies the start of the academic year.
“Our main priority is to ensure the safety of our educators, learners and communities.To mitigate the negative impact of floods on schools and infrastructure, we have dispatched more than 200 mobile classrooms so that learning and teaching continues without disruption. The disaster management teams are on the ground to monitor damage caused by flooding on the infrastructure and speedily effect repairs,” she said.
She assured residents that the province was ready to weather the storm, and encouraged communities living in low-lying and flood-prone areas to heed constant warnings issued by the South African Weather Service and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
