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The OR Tambo Municipality in the Eastern Cape has confirmed two deaths following a heavy storm that swept across the region on Thursday.
Municipality spokesperson, Zimkitha Macingwana, said one of the victims was a 17-year-old girl.
However, no details were immediately available on the second fatality as authorities continued to assess the damage caused on Friday.
Macingwana says other survivors of the storm who were critically injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
She said several families were also affected and livestock was lost.
Macingwana says the Municipality will compile a report on the impact of the storm, which the weather office said was "not a tornado", which reportedly caused extensive damage to infrastructure.
Eskom in the Eastern Cape said 49 000 customers in the O R Tambo, Chris Hani, Alfred Nzo, and Amathole districts were affected.
The power utility said on Friday the stormy weather conditions put the network at risk and can affect the electricity supply of customers in these areas and potentially leave customers without electricity with prolonged periods.
"Unfortunately, these conditions also affect the restoration efforts of technical teams out in the field. e urge affected customers to be patient and to treat all electricity appliances as live during this time," said spokesperson Zama Mpondwana.
