A family has died when their car was swept away from the road by heavy storms in Margate, south coast of KwaZulu Natal, on Sunday afternoon. The bodies of a man, a woman and their child were recovered inside their car early this morning.

Margate KZN floods pic.twitter.com/9VBJnTCIGl

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The thunderstorms left a trail of destruction in Margate with roads, businesses and infrastructure damaged. Ugu Municipal spokesperson France Zama confirmed the fatalities and damages cause by the heavy rains "The mayor of Ugu, Skhumbuzo Mqadi led a delegation of multi- disciplinary teams of technocrats to visit areas of Margate which were affected by the heavy downpours last night. A huge damage has been caused to water and road infrastructure around the areas of Margate and an on-site assessment of the damages is underway. A coordinated cleanup operation is in progress while cost implications of the damages caused are still being consolidated. Three people have also been confirmed dead in the Margate area," he said.

South African Weather Services (SAWS) have issued a level 5 warning for the province this morning. Provincial CoGTA spokesperson Nonala Ndlovu said the heavy downpours may result into some areas receiving rainfall accumulation of more than 200mm over a 24-hour period which may lead to localised impact such as flooding of settlements and roads, damage to houses displacement of communities over the extreme south-eastern of the province today. "Areas that are likely to be affected include eThekwini Metro, Umdoni, Umzumbe and Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipalities. "Our disaster teams have noted the flood damages that occurred in Margate town last night that were caused by the severe thunderstorms. Businesses and public Infrastructure such as roads and houses have been severely damaged. Our teams are currently conducting assessment and updates will be communicated in due course," she said. 

KZN - #Flooding Margate area pic.twitter.com/fJ954RgOcJ

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Ndlovu advised the public to take precautionary measures by moving to safer places and avoid travelling to mitigate risk. "These thunderstorms may cause localised damage to settlements, vehicles, livelihood, livestock and power surges due to excessive lightning. The public is also warned of localised injuries and danger to life due to lightning. The disaster teams in all the municipalities have been activated," she said. She also advised communities to seek refuge in safe public facilities such as community halls. "Our teams may have to evacuate people should they foresee high risk of danger due to inclement weather. Motorists are strongly advised to avoid travelling during this period, as bridges may become flooded, posing a risk to life," she added.