The death toll in in the flood that ravaged Eastern Cape has risen to 90. The provincial government says of the deceased, 60 are adults and the others children.

Eighty bodies have been identified of which 77 have been released to their families.

The Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe engaged with flood victims, in Mthatha.

She is in the flood-devastated area to assess the damage caused during the disaster.Tolashe says government spending must be closely monitored.

“In the centre of all this we agreed that we must bring our internal audit committees so that, as we spend, they can assist and look closely whether we are spending accordingly,” she says.

The Minister says they will spend accordingly and if there is a need to redirect anything then that decision must be taken and informed.

“We don’t want to it to be like what the case was with Covid19 where there was fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” adds Tolashe.

“We want to guard against that early when we are spending.”

Search operations continue as more bodies are discovered.