The death toll from flooding in the Eastern Cape has risen to 67.

This was announced by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa while he was updating the nation on the damage in the Mthatha area.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing for missing people that were swept away by flood waters.

Hlabisa has conveyed his condolences and says he will visit the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, Hlabisa has announced that a classification of national disaster has been made.

He says the head of the national disaster management centre, Dr Bongani Sithole, made the classification in terms of the law and four provinces, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Western Cape are included in the classification.

Hlabisa says a declaration of disaster is not necessary.

“The classification is sufficient as it allows all departments and spheres of government to activate necessary steps in terms of intervention to respond the storm that occurred over the past few days. And on the 7th of July 2025 as Minister of CoGTA, I will come back to announce interventions in terms of disaster grants.”

Update on Eastern Cape floods