The Department of Cooperative Governance says the confirmed number of people who have died due to the Eastern Cape floods is 97.

The Co-operative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and senior management are briefing the portfolio committee on COGTA about the floods.

Head of National Disaster Management Centre, Dr Ellias Sithole gives details of the deceased persons.

“The province, through the DDM approach and also in line with the national disaster response-standard operating procedure, as well as with the non-governmental organisations, has activated the response system and also the mechanism to mitigate the effects of this disaster. 95 people have been confirmed dead this morning, Chair. We have since received the update, but the HOD will confirm later. The number is 97.  23 of which are school-going children. Of the 93, which is the previous figure of the deceased persons, 86 bodies have been identified and claimed. There are three children amongst those not yet recovered.”

We earlier reported that 100 people have died and thousands have been displaced following floods that hit the Eastern Cape two weeks ago.

Structures to manage flood disasters

Meanwhile, the government says it has established several structures to address flood disasters across the various provinces in the country.

The briefing before the portfolio committee on the department includes an update on the state of readiness for the 2025 winter initiation season.

Sithole says the departments of Health, Home Affairs and Transport, among others, are part of these structures.

“We are presenting the structures that we activated to manage this event. This is the ICDM (Intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Management), which is the structure that is chaired by the minister, with all the cabinet members and MECs of provinces they are participating.”

He adds, “We have also activated on the left-hand side, the NJFCC, which is the National Joint Flood Coordination Committee, which is chaired by myself, but also we have activated the extended NJFCC, which is chaired by our DG (Director-General).”

Damages

The Eastern Cape COGTA MEC Zolile Williams says they have repaired the damaged infrastructure in the province that had affected the water system.

Williams says efforts were made by both humanitarian organisations and the government to ensure that clean water is provided.

He says they are doing all they can to ensure that everyone is covered while they restore the systems.

Williams says, “The infrastructure, especially around the Mthatha area, was affected, and electricity. So we have that infrastructure, so we are pumping our reservoirs in order to reach all areas, but in the absence of that water we were giving through trucks and we have had some glitches, I must be honest where we couldn’t everyone at the same time.” – Additional reporting by Diteboho Ntimane.

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