Floods in areas near the Vaal River have severely affected about 130 households in the Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality in Bloemhof in the North West.

Last Friday, ten sluice gates of the Vaal Dam and seven of the Bloemhof Dam were opened to maintain water levels that are currently over 100% capacity.

However, the Water and Sanitation Department says two sluice gates will gradually be closed at the Vaal Dam by this afternoon.

A community representative leading a humanitarian aid programme in Bloemhof and Christiana, Albert Nel, says a lot of community members need aid.

“The need is very huge so we as a community have come together. We have made account available where money is paid into and then every person that feels that they need a meal. We provide that one meal each day. And then we had also the Sanlam Foundation that bought us some hampers yesterday and then there was a donation of hundred bags of mielie meal that we will utilise amongst these people.”

Meanwhile, the municipality yesterday partially closed a section of the N12 between Bloemhof and Christiana, adjacent to the Bloemhof Golf Course, due to the overflowing Vaal River.

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