Ramaphosa to visit flood-stricken EC amid rising death toll

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa told the SABC that nearly 80 people had been reported dead by Thursday night.

“I can confirm that a message has come through [and] the figure has gone to 78 now, instead of 72.”

The figure is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue across the province.

READ MORE: Flood-hit Eastern Cape death toll hits 78

The Eastern Cape is among four provinces, including the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State, where the impact of inclement weather has been classified as a national disaster.

Ramaphosa is expected to visit Jumba High School and Slovo Park in Dicoligny following a closed briefing on Friday.

In a statement confirming his visit, the Presidency said Ramaphosa is being kept abreast by Hlabisa and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane on search and rescue efforts, and on additional support needed to respond to the devastating disaster.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the loss of lives and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, affected communities and Eastern Cape residents at large,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa has confirmed to the SABC that post-mortems for the deceased have been completed.

However, health facilities have been affected by the damage to infrastructure.

“Even forensic was affected, as a result, there was a delay in viewing the bodies yesterday. We managed to do the post-mortems with all the bodies, but the challenge was with cleaning the area. But with the intervention of the district, they sent us one water cart to fill up our tanks so that we can continue.”

Capa said no serious injuries had been reported since the start of the disaster, with only one person presenting with a fracture.

Authorities are expected to give an update on the latest figures during the course of Friday.

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