Johannesburg (AP) – South Africa is in a state of national disaster due to death losses caused by flooding from floods in the Eastern Cape, while the Eastern Cape has risen to 92.
The Eastern Cape government paid tribute to victims in the flood last week, one of the few schools with infrastructure intact.
Executive Committee member Zolile Williams said at a public memorial service that the people in the coastal provinces have been different since the disaster strike and that many are now facing the difficult task of reconstruction.
“Since June 9, the province has been hit by unprecedented, disastrous and unimaginable disasters, with about 92 people killed throughout the province,” Williams said.
“The Eastern Cape has been different since that day. This is the first time we have experienced many bodies, some of which have not been found.”
Last week, the Extreme Weather Front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of the province, causing flooding last week in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces, killing dozens of people and damage to roads, houses, schools and other infrastructure.
According to local media reports, at least two unverified missing children were washed off on the bus, and thousands were displaced.
Authorities have called on residents to report missing persons so rescuers can better understand how many people they are still looking for.
Religious leaders from different Christian religions were among hundreds of mourners attending the commemorative ceremony, lighting the candles is a symbolic expression of remembering the 92 people who died in the flood.
Elias Sithole, director of the National Disaster Management Center, said in a government notice on Wednesday that bad weather has caused property damage. and the destruction of important services of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and the free state, prompted South Africa to declare a state of disaster.
The statement allows the government to release funds for relief and rehabilitation and will remain in place until it expires or is no longer classified as a result and revoked by the head of the center.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the town of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape province, where floods hit the worst.
Many Eastern Cape flood victims live in floodplain near rivers. Government officials say impoverished communities with informal housing are most affected. Authorities have been criticized for their rescue responses and for the state of infrastructure in the region.
