One family in KwaZulu Natal lost ten people during the recent flash floods that hit Ladysmith over the weekend. The Msimang family from Bester in Ladysmith is still trying to come to terms with their huge loss.

A family spokesperson Menzi Msimang said that search and rescue teams are still searching for seven of their family members who are presumed dead. "We are finding it hard to believe that all of our family members passed away tragically. They were coming back from church and we were informed by a passerby that there was a van that got swept away while trying to cross a river. My brother was driving the car," said Msimang. Msimang told ZiMoja that they were still searching for seven missing relatives. "The search and rescue teams managed to recover three bodies of my brother, his wife and child. They were found stuck in the front seat of the vehicle. We don't know what really happened but my brother's car is still stuck inside the river," he said.

MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu Natal Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi visited the scene and extended her deepest condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in the floods. Sithole-Moloi has also convened an urgent joint operation cluster meeting involving all municipalities as part of our disaster response efforts. "As rain continues to fall in various parts of our province, we urge people to exercise caution, especially those travelling on the roads. We strongly advise residents not to attempt to cross rivers where the water level is above the knee. The South African Weather Services has forecast more normal rainfall throughout the summer, this requires us to be disaster-wise and adhere to the disaster alerts to reduce risk. "We have coordinated with other government departments to assist families in distress. Our teams are on the ground offering relief, counselling will be provided to affected families, and we are actively working on postmortem to assist families," she said.