Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his sadness at the loss of life in the Eastern Cape due to flooding, confirming that the death toll stood at 78 on Friday.
However, with the search still continuing for more people still missing, this number could rise further.
President Ramaphosa said he was happy with the response from government ministers both nationally and locally and of the first responders to the flood disaster, which hit the Mthatha area the hardest.
Hundreds of schools and over 20 health facilities suffered damage in the storm.
The national government delegation was spearheaded by the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Velinkosi Hlabisa, the minister of basic education, Siviwe Gwarube and the health minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
President Ramaphosa conducted an inspection in loco at the Efata Bridge in Mthata, where a scholar transport bus was swept away with 13 people on board.
By late Thursday, four of the learners from a nearby high school were still missing.
“This is a catastrophe that I do believe could never have been foreseen,” Ramaphosa said in a brief address to the media.
He noted that this type of flooding never really happens at this time of the year, adding that the challenge of climate change was “quite huge.”
“It is affecting the livelihoods of people, infrastructure, and to have lost 78 people in just two days is quite catastrophic,” Ramaphosa said.
During a briefing on Thursday, premier Oscar Mabuyane said approximately 1,000 people have been displaced in the Amathole district alone and are being sheltered in community facilities.
He also noted that at least 127 schools across 10 districts and about 20 health facilities have suffered damage.
President @CyrilRamaphosa started his visit eFata Bridge in Mthatha where a scholar transport bus was swept away by floods after bridge collapsed following heavy rains on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/7Sy1v8bni1
— The Presidency ???????? (@PresidencyZA) June 13, 2025
