The death toll following the KwaZulu-Natal floods has risen to a staggering 51 and the weather is only expected to clear on Thursday.
The number of deaths reported as a result of the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal has risen to a staggering 51 as of Wednesday morning, 24 April 2019. Parts of the Eastern Cape (EC), especially Port St Johns, have also suffered flooding from the heavy rains and three people have been reported dead. In a warning issued on Monday, 22 April 2019, the South African Weather Services said the heavy rains were set to continue until Thursday, 25 April 2019.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube expressed gratitude towards President Cyril Ramaphosa, who will be visiting the Disaster Management Centre in Durban this morning, 24 April 2019. President Ramaphosa was attending an emergency African Union (AU) Troika Summit in Egypt and had to cut his trip short after learning of the disaster that has consumed the KZN and EC provinces.
The most affected areas in KZN include Chatsworth, Malvern, Overport, Pinetown and Amanzimtoti. In Chatsworth, south of Durban, rescue workers discovered nine bodies on Tuesday, 23 April 2019, after a mudslide destroyed the home of a caretaker at Westcliff Secondary School. After his morning visit to the Disaster Management Centre, the president will also visit the affected areas before he leaves to assess the damage in the EC.
Reports detail several homes that have collapsed, while children have drowned in mudslides. Several institutions, including schools and universities, have been closed until further notice.
Abenathi Gqomo
a.gqomo@politicalanalysis.co.za
