South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the people of KwaZulu-Natal province that his government would provide aid and relief items to help them following the devastating floods that have claimed over 360 lives and left thousands of others injured and homeless.
Ramaphosa attributed the carnage caused by the severe flooding to climate change, and said help was on the way to those affected by “the state of disaster” which he declared at the end of his Wednesday visit.
The coastal province was lashed by heavy rains which, according to provincial authorities, killed over 360 people dead and left a trail of destruction impacting infrastructure, homes and businesses in the port city of Durban and surrounding areas.
Ramaphosa visited at least five communities in the Durban area to assess the damage and offered support to the communities that are still reeling from the tragedy.
“I wanted to visit this area to see what has occurred, and I can see that this area is in a very bad state. A great tragedy has befallen you, one that we have not seen in a long time,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “The most painful effect of these floods is that many lives have been lost, people’s homes have been destroyed, and streets, bridges and churches have been damaged as well.”
A state of disaster has been declared in KwaZulu-Natal after some areas witnessed months’ worth of rain fall in one day in what officials have described as “one of the worst weather storms in the history” of the country.
NM/jn/APA