Durban – While December 26, the Day of Goodwill (formerly Boxing Day), is traditionally a day thousands flock to Durban’s beaches, bad weather has forced many residents and visitors to make other plans.
Parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been hit by rain and thunderstorms since Saturday.
The South African Weather Service issued a warning of severe thunderstorms across the province.
The bad weather could also result in localised flooding of settlements, low-lying roads and bridges.
The weather service said there was also a possibility of damage to infrastructure.
“Severe lightning can possibly result in localised fire incidents, injuries to humans and livestock,” it said.
It warned motorists to be vigilant as poor driving conditions could lead to accidents.
This comes as the eThekwini Municipality reopened the uMhlanga Main and uMhlanga Bronze beaches.
The municipality was given the go-ahead on Christmas Day.
The two beaches were reopened for swimming on December 1 following closures due to sewage pollution, after water quality tests showed that the E coli levels had dropped significantly.
A week later the beaches were closed again after subsequent water tests revealed that they were not safe as E coli readings were still high.