Six people have been confirmed dead and 10 are missing after heavy rains in Ladysmith in KwaZulu Natal on Christmas Eve. The rains resulted in the Bellspuit River which runs under the Mbonontathu bridge bursting its banks and causing water to overflow onto the N11 road.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Goghta) in the province said the floods resulted in severe damage to infrastructure and several vehicles were swept away. Spokesperson Nonala Ndlovu said: "Additionally, one household located near a Caravan Park was destroyed, sadly, three family members were swept away. During the search and rescue operation, one family member was found deceased, while the other two are still missing,". She added that at the time of the incident, three vehicles that were traveling on the N11 were swept away. According to information gathered by the disaster teams, a double cab was carrying nine passengers and three of them were found deceased inside the vehicle, while the other six remain missing. In another incident, a VW Polo with a driver and a passenger was also swept away and one of the people was found deceased inside the vehicle while the other is still missing. One person was also found dean inside a Bantam bakkie while the passenger of the same vehicle is still missing.

According to Ndlovu,  Ladysmith has historically been susceptible to flooding due to its location in a floodplain along the catchment area. "The municipality has a long history of flash floods caused by thunderstorms or slow-moving cut-off flows. As a result, the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) has developed a mitigation and response plan for the Alfred Duma Municipality. Furthermore, the PDMC has assisted the municipality in securing funds from the National Disaster Management Centre to implement mitigation projects aimed at reducing or preventing the impact of flooding," she said, adding that several projects valued at over 23 million are currently underway within the Alfred Duma municipality and Ladysmith Town as part of the draft mitigation and response plan. "Our teams will continue their assessment this morning and the rescue team will resume their search for the missing people. Thunderstorms are expected to persist in various areas of KwaZulu-Natal, including Ladysmith. According to the South African Weather Service, a level 2 alert has been issued. We urge residents to exercise extreme caution during this time,"Ndlovu said.