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Storms damage homes in E Cape

About 20 houses were damaged on Sunday in the Eastern Cape town of Alicedale as storms swept across a large tract of the province.

About 20 houses were damaged on Sunday in the Eastern Cape town of Alicedale as storms swept across a large tract of the province.

William Welkom, assistant director of fire services for Makana municipality, said yesterday that the storm, accompanied by hail and strong winds, ripped off corrugated iron and asbestos roofing and disrupted overhead electricity connections.

One person was treated in hospital for minor injuries, but there were no other casualties.

Welkom said people had begun repairing their homes as soon as the storm, which hit the town at about 1pm, passed, while the municipality had also supplied plastic sheeting.

Some homes had lost only one sheet of roofing, while five had their roofs completely blown off.

"At the moment everything is under control," he said.

Overnight accommodation in community halls had not been necessary, as people had stayed with friends or relatives.

Eskom had started repairing the cables as soon as the storm passed.

The SA Weather Service has forecast severe storms over large parts of the province, in a line from Jansenville to East London.

Reports of damage had been received from Alicedale, from farms in the Lothians Valley near Grahamstown and Breidbach in King William's Town, where trees were blown over, roofs ripped off and an initiate was killed when a tree fell on him. - Sapa

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