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JOHANNESBURG. – Southern Africa is bracing itself for Cyclone Freddy which was expected to make landfall in Madagascar yesterday with two million people in its path, according to the UN.

In Mozambique, President Filipe Nyusi returned home early from the African Union summit in Ethiopia as the storm could hit his country by the end of the week.

Madagascar has warned of the potential damage from heavy rains, strong winds and storm surges.

Reports suggest that the cyclone could affect nations along the coast from Tanzania to South Africa.

Flights in and out of neighbouring Mauritius have been cancelled.

Further inland, Zimbabwe has activated its disaster response.

Early last year southern African countries were battered by six severe storms that killed at least 890 people.

President Nyusi made an early return home from the African Union summit in order to monitor his country’s response to heavy rains.

The National Institute of Meteorology has warned that Tropical Cyclone Freddy could make landfall in Mozambique by Friday.

The UN said it could affect as many as two million people.

President Nyusi expressed optimism at his country’s experience in dealing with the effects of heavy rains and cyclones.

It has been predicted that the cyclone would make its first landfall in Madagascar today and is then expected to re-enter the Mozambican Channel where it is expected to rejuvenate its energy and progress towards the Mozambican coastline.

It is expected to make landfall near the Mozambican city of Beira in the early hours of Friday.

This would be the second cyclone to hit Mozambique this year following Cyclone that pummelled parts of the country in late January.

Cyclone Freddy, the strongest storm to form anywhere on earth this year, is anticipated to bring heavy rains to Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The SADC’s Climate Services Centre added Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, and the northern parts of South Africa as areas that will this week experience “heavy to extreme rainfall”, with a risk of flooding.

By yesterday morning, MSD said the cyclone was “about 1 250km east of Madagascar, and that different models were showing different trajectories, with a mean trajectory expecting that it might cross Madagascar into the Mozambique channel”.

Save the Children warned that Cyclone Freddy could affect about two million people living in its path and that half of those would be children.

Tatiana Dasy, Save the Children’s Madagascar director said:

“The risk of dangerous storm surge, flooding, and strong winds and damaging wind is increasing by the minute and we’re terribly worried for families and children living on the storm’s path.

Since cyclone trajectories may change drastically, meteorological departments in countries that anticipate weather changes are monitoring the situation by the hour.

According to media reports last week, by 14 February, at least seven people had died, with damage to infrastructure and agricultural land in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and North West.

In Mozambique, aid agencies last week estimated that at least 39 225 people – about 7 845 families – had been affected by flooding that led to the displacement of 14 792 people.

In Eswatini, it was reported that 260 people were affected by floods, while there was extensive damage to some infrastructure, including six bridges.

Madagascar is still suffering from the impact of Cyclone Batsirai and tropical Cyclone Emnati that tore through  the country’s south-eastern parts last year, killing more than 200 people, and flooding about 60 000 hectares of rice fields.

Cyclone Freddy will be the second one to hit Madagascar this year, following Cyclone Cheneso in January which killed 33 people and left 34 000 homeless. There were 20 people reported missing.

Meanwhile, officials in South Africa have said they are continuing to monitor communities experiencing flooding, following weeks of heavy rains.

The rains have been brought on by the global La Niña weather phenomenon, which occurs in the Pacific Ocean.

Over the weekend in Gauteng province, officials opened several floodgates to ease pressure from the Vaal Dam – one of the largest in the province.

This meant deliberately flooding some properties near the dam.

Officials have said this is to prevent the massive dam from collapsing and endangering thousands of people.

They have also advised people living near the Vaal River to consider moving to higher ground until the water subsides. – Agencies