Flooding kills at least 30

SOUTH Africa declared a national disaster yesterday over torrential rainfall and flooding that has killed at least 30 people in the northern part of the country, damaged thousands of homes and washed away roads and bridges.

- 

The declaration was made by the head of South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre and announced by the country's government. It allows the national government to coordinate the response to the disaster.

"I classify the disaster as a national disaster," the head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Elias Sithole, said in a statement yesterday.