The mini tornado that ripped roofs off houses and sent road signs flying through the air on Tuesday afternoon has left many communities in Inanda, north of Durban, homeless.

The heavy rains hit parts of Inanda township between 2 pm and 4 pm on Tuesday, destroying many homes.

Most areas that were badly affected include Bester, Phoenix, Dube Village, Bhambayi and eKuphakamene, where the community under the Shembe Baptist Nazareth Church stays.

Those who were driving on the M25 and Malandela Road got the shock of their lives as they witnessed signs and roofs flying above the rapidly flooding landscape.

In videos that were shared on social media, people could be heard screaming from cars and praying for their safety as the tornado hit them on the road.

Dube Village, which lost its central shopping mall in the July Unrest of 2021 as well as many of its spaza shops, was also badly hit.

This is a developing story.