The Department of Cooperative Governance says roads, electricity networks and water pipelines have been severely damaged.

The eThekwini municipality says clinics have also been flooded and that municipal workers have been clearing fallen trees and debris from roads.

Initial reports also say that a herdboy was washed away by floodwater in the Zwelisha area in the Durban metro. The South African Weather Service is investigating whether the storm winds and heavy rains in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal were indeed a tornado.

Disaster management teams are assessing the extent of the damage that has been caused by storm winds and heavy rains in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal.