Watch: Another tornado strikes SA, as extreme weather batters Panbult

The extreme weather which has blighted South Africa in recent months made another devastating appearance in Panbult, Mpumalanga on Friday. A tornado was reported just after 18:15 in the evening, as a series of dramatic video clips were uploaded onto social media.

Storm that produced the #Panbult #Tornado looked great on satellite at 18:30. pic.twitter.com/kstB2379E6

— Craig Powell (@CPowellWX) January 3, 2020

Panbult latest – where was the twister spotted?

Storm Report SA were the first to pick up on the phenomenon. The weather specialists speculate that it was a multi-vortex system caught on camera – something the SA Weather Service (Saws) are yet to confirm. The videos uploaded online show a large, furiously-swirling mass making its way across an empty field.

Panbult, which is located between Ermelo and Piet Retief, saw the twister in its full glory. Thankfully, we’ve had no reports of fatalities or casualties in the region. The event occurred in a rural, remote part of Mpumalanga and damage to property or infrastructure is thought to be minimal.

Watch the Panbult tornado here:

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Very dramatic video taken by Charlene Kotze of the tornado in Panbult (between Ermelo and Piet Retief) earlier this evening. The video was taken at 18:18pm. At one stage in the video the tornado looks like it was a multi-vortex tornado.#Tornado #SouthAfrica #Panbult pic.twitter.com/FAWrdlODEk

— Storm Report SA (@StormReportSA1) January 3, 2020

⚠BREAKING

Another view of a possible second tornado in Sheepmoor, Panbult (Between Ermelo and Piet Retief) this could be the same tornado that we reported previously taken from another angle . This is a developing story. pic.twitter.com/2ECMHvzWBX

— Storm Report SA (@StormReportSA1) January 3, 2020

Recent tornados in South Africa

These things really aren’t as uncommon as we think. There were dozens of South Africa tornado events in 2019 alone, but capturing them on video is a rarity – especially when our tornadoes are usually quite weak. However, meteorologist Etienne Kapikian has described the Panbult tornado as being an “impressive” display.

The first recorded instance was in 1905, but there have been a couple of ‘whirlwind’ weather displays in KZN and the Eastern Cape during the past few months. A waterspout was spotted in Durban back in April – at the height of the tragic flood which killed dozens – and another tornado was reported in rural Newcastle.