Johannesburg, July 14 : Seven people were killed this past week and 196 homes have been completely destroyed as a result of raging wildfires in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province, the provincial government said.

The wildfires that started a week ago have affected a total of 751 people, and have damaged farms and homes in districts, including King Cetshwayo, Ilembe, uThukela and Zululand, the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said on Saturday in a statement.

More than 14,000 hectares of grazing land have been destroyed by the fires with 1,600 animals lost, the department added as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The number of houses destroyed is increasing as the wildfires are going on, according to Siboniso Duma, an official from the Provincial Council of Transport and Human Settlements, who added that they are still working to profile affected families.

/IANS