[imagesource: Twitter / @NivashniNair]

If these opportunistic surfers and canoers existed in isolation, outside of the devastating reality of the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, then sure, “hysterical”.

We have to fight that truly South African urge to laugh in a moment of struggle and tragedy because people are dying across the storm-stricken region.

Reporting this morning on the mudslides taking out luxury resorts and leading to people fleeing their homes, we mentioned that the KZN storm had left two casualties in its wake.

Unfortunately, an update has multiplied that number by 10, with IOL reporting that now at least 20 people have died and many more are missing:

Speaking to eNCA on Tuesday morning, [Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesperson, Nonala Ndlovu] said, so far, 20 lives have been lost.

She said police had not yet been to some scenes, and the number of deaths and missing people are likely to change as the day progresses.

TimesLIVE added a report about an older woman and her three grandchildren who were “swept away by raging waters as they attempted to drive across a low-lying bridge near a swollen river in Tongaat”.

From the delayed search due to the weather, the car with the grandmother inside was found but the three children are still missing.

A live update from News24 has also confirmed the extent of the damage and loss caused by this raging storm, with rescue teams scrambling to save people stuck on roofs and trapped inside collapsed houses.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Colin and Joshua Simpkins canoed in a massive pool of water after heavy rain in their Durban North suburb:

When in pours in Durban – we go Canoeing in Durban North Virginia Circle 😂 pic.twitter.com/9wNtgdlKc4

— I Love Durban (@ILuvDBN) April 11, 2022

TimesLIVE reported:

“We live less than 100m from the circle. We are both canoeists. My son arrived home from school and told me the centre of the circle was full of water. We grabbed our canoes and walked over for some fun,” Simpkins told TimesLIVE.

“When we were paddling there were lots of fun reactions. People were hooting, waving and taking photos. It was great fun,” Simpkins said.

In Hillcrest, someone whipped out their surfboard and slid down the flooded fairway at Cotswold Downs:

A resident surfs on Cotswold Downs fairway as heavy rain continues to fall in KwaZulu-Natal. @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/Gx8STUm35M

— Nivashni Nair (@NivashniNair) April 12, 2022

Seems like a fun time, but as I said, perhaps it’s only a good laugh if it existed in its own right.

Unfortunately, there’s a much larger, more serious context to consider.

[sources:timeslive&iol]