DURBAN - After receiving reports on the disaster incidents across KwaZulu-Natal following heavy rains and flooding, a decision was taken at an Executive Council meeting to request that the province be declared a disaster area.
The meeting, which was held on Tuesday night, was called by Premier Sihle Zikalala to discuss the effects of disaster response and interventions from the Provincial Inter-Ministerial Committee on Disaster Management chaired by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka.
This comes after Zikalala together with members of the Executive Council, members of the provincial legislature, mayors and councillors, visited different parts of the province today to assess the damage.
The delegation also conveyed their condolences to the families who had lost loved ones in the provincial tragedy.
The KZN executive council said in a statement that from Monday, the province experienced one of the worst storms in the history of our country.
“The heavy rainfall that has descended on our land over the past few days, has wreaked untold havoc and unleashed massive damage to lives and infrastructure,” it said.
Giving an update on the death toll, the council said 45 deaths had been reported in eThekwini alone while 14 others have lost their lives in Ndwedwe and Kwadukuza in the iLembe District.
“In light of the extent of the damage to lives and infrastructure, the Provincial Executive Council today resolved to request the classification of the province as a disaster area,” the council said.
The council also said that President Cyril Ramaphosa will be visiting the province tomorrow to conduct an assessment and receive a comprehensive update on the unfolding crisis.
“Declaring a state of disaster will enable the province to apply for emergency funding from National Treasury and grant authority to reprioritise our current budgets in order to address the reconstruction work necessary to bring the province back to normal,” it said.
The municipalities most affected by heavy rains, damaging winds and flooding include:
- eThekwini
- Ilembe
- Uthukela
- uMgungundlovu
- King Cetshwayo
- Ugu
- Umzinyathi
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