OR Tambo District Municipality
The Eastern Cape provincial government said it has bolstered efforts to coordinate disaster relief and recovery measures following the devastating floods that had impacted the province particularly in the OR Tambo and Amathole Districts.
Bhisho said in a statement on Friday that a multidisciplinary team led by the Office of the Premier was deployed since the disaster began and that a provincial joint operations centre (JOC) has been activated to streamline disaster response.
Government spokesperson, Khuselwa Rantjie, said a donations management team is also coordinating humanitarian support, including the distribution of food, sanitary items, and household necessities.
“This team has been actively assessing the functionality, safety, and welfare of residents in temporary shelters across the province, while coordinating and distributing humanitarian aid.
“The team is also making significant progress in the resettlement of displaced residents, which is expected to resume once all proper government processes have been followed,” she said.
The provincial government said the flood toll stood at 103, with 32 school children among the victims.
Rantjie said floodwaters have “ravaged” over 6,800 households, leaving 4,724 without homes and partially damaging another 2,145 dwellings.
“Search and recovery efforts are still underway, while emergency response and relief teams continue their critical work.
She said suitable land has also been identified in both KSD and Mnquma municipalities for the construction of 1,230 temporary residential units (TRUs), with R120 million reprioritised to begin implementation.
A further R461 million is needed to meet the full TRU demand.
Additionally, infrastructure repairs are in motion, with 235 schools, 69 health facilities, and 149 roads and 91 bridges damaged across various districts.
A total of R5.04 billion is the estimated cost to repair damaged infrastructure.
“The collaboration across government and with civil society has been instrumental in responding to this humanitarian crisis. We remain committed to ensuring that displaced families are cared for with dignity and that donations are managed transparently.
“The province thanks all donors”, said the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Zolile Williams.
