SOUTH AFRICA
Another earth tremor rattles KZN

06 November 2022 -

At least two earth tremors have been reported in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend.
Image: File/ Bloomberg

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government on Sunday said it was roping in experts to understand the “minor earthquakes” which have reportedly shaken the province over the past two days.

In a statement, MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs Sihle Zikalala said they had noted reports by the public and several agencies on the earthquakes.


“The department has established contact with the Council for Geoscience, a legislated body to determine the extent of tremors and potential impacts in the affected areas,” said Zikalala.

“The department is liaising with all disaster management teams in the districts to assess whether there was any damage to infrastructure. So far no injuries or fatalities have been reported,” Zikalala added.

He called for calm and said disaster management teams were monitoring the situation.

On its website, the Council for Geoscience recorded that both tremors reported in the KwaZulu-Natal region on Saturday and Sunday had a magnitude of 3.9, making them among the strongest to be reported in recent months.

Speaking on eNCA on Saturday, Eldridge Kgaswane of the council said there was no immediate need for panic.

“We are on an intra-plate stress zone, meaning we are on a stable continental region. We don't have a history of violent seismic occurrences in this country. You do have occasional earthquakes ... There isn't much to worry about,” Kgaswane said.

The council issued a statement on Sunday, pinpointing the exact locations of the tremors.

The first had a preliminary epicentre located in the Mnkangala region, about 40km north of Kokstad.

The epicentre of the second one was located about 40km northeast of Greytown and 30km east of Tugela Ferry.

According to one report, the latest tremor was also felt in parts of Lesotho.

The council said the two earthquakes did not occur along the same geological structure (fault), but might be "interrelated on a much more regional scale".

"The public is encouraged to record their experiences using the available online questionnaire," the council said.