Eight people have died in storms lashing the Western Cape and in fires raging along large parts of the Garden Route.
The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre said four people died in a fire caused by lightning in Kraaifontein in Cape Town.
In Lavender Hill, a 60-year-old man was killed when a shack collapsed on him earlier on Wednesday.
Three people also died in a fire that had been raging near Rheenendal, Knysna.
The Eden District Municipality confirmed that a farm worker, his wife and their son died in that blaze.
In the meantime, residents near Belvedere in Knysna, were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday afternoon.
Knysna Municipality spokesperson, Fran Kirsten, said that Brenton on Sea residents were evacuated to the beach while the road leading to Brenton from Knysna was closed.
Fires were also burning at Karatara with people being evacuated as the situation became dangerous.
The N2 between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna remained closed the entire day and into Wednesday evening as a result of a raging fires including a massive blaze in a plantation at Kruisfontein.
Several properties were destroyed with further reports of properties burning down or under threat in the Knysna area.
Kouga Municipality said its fire teams managed to stop a large veld fire from spreading towards built-up farm areas between Humansdorp and Oyster Bay on Wednesday.
Executive mayor, Elza van Lingen, said an earlier evacuation alert had ben cancelled.
She said several small bush fires were brought under control while fire-fighting teams were sent to Longmore Forest to "assist the Longmore MTO" with a fire at the plantation.
In Nelson Mandela Bay fire-fighters were also called in to action to battle several fires in the Greenbushes area, Van Staden's gorge and another big fire in the Draaifontein Road area.
Fire chief, Andre' de Ridder, said the fires were being fanned by strong winds.
