South Africa declares national disaster as Eastern Cape floods kill 101

The Star

4 hours ago

CAPE TOWN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A national disaster has been declared in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province after recent devastating floods killed 101 people and caused widespread destruction.
"The South African government has officially declared a national disaster in response to the widespread destruction caused by the severe weather, following a comprehensive assessment of the ongoing crisis," said Zolile Williams, Eastern Cape's member of the Executive Council for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, in a statement issued Thursday by the provincial government.
"The declaration, made in terms of the Disaster Management Act, comes amid heavy rainfall, flooding, strong winds, and snowfall that have battered parts of the country, with the Eastern Cape being the hardest hit," he said.
As of Thursday, 101 people had died as a result of the disastrous weather conditions that hit the province, including 38 children, he added.
Meanwhile, according to the statement, the floods on June 9-10 affected a total of 6,869 households, leaving 4,724 people homeless across the province, excluding the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, while 2,145 homes were partially damaged. Farmers lost 1,339 livestock, and 1,803 hectares of crops were destroyed.
Williams further noted that the floods caused significant damage to both economic and social infrastructure. "Infrastructure damage assessments have been completed. The cost of repairing damaged infrastructure is estimated at 5.1 billion rand (about 286 million U.S. dollars). About 3.2 billion rand is required across sector departments and 1.8 billion rand for municipal infrastructure, as per the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent assessments," he said.
"An amount of 461 million rand is required for Temporary Residential Units. However, the province currently has 120 million rand, and we are appealing to the national government for intervention in this area," he added. "For road infrastructure, repair costs are estimated at 935 million rand, of which 102 million rand has been reprioritized from the Department of Transport budget, leaving a deficit of 832 million rand for which intervention is required."
However, Williams also reported progress in several areas, including the resumption of classes at local schools, the restoration of basic services in affected communities, and the identification of land to facilitate the delivery of Temporary Residential Units and permanent housing.
Electricity supply has been restored to over 80 percent of affected customers, and more than 95 percent of the water supply has been restored in the O.R. Tambo and Amathole District Municipalities, which were the hardest hit, he said.
"The government continues to appeal for support from the private sector, businesses, and individuals to assist with donations of food, clothing, blankets, furniture, and other essentials. Every contribution makes a meaningful difference in helping communities recover and rebuild. Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind as we work to restore dignity and hope to those impacted by this disaster," he added.