South Africa has officially declared a national disaster following devastating floods and storms that have claimed over 10 lives and affected seven of the country’s nine provinces.
The declaration, made on Tuesday by Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre, underscores the severe impact of the “violent weather” that struck the nation in late October.
Between October 22 and 29, the country endured disruptive rainfall, violent winds, hailstorms, and severe flooding, particularly impacting the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga provinces.
Sithole reported significant losses, including human casualties, property and infrastructure damage, environmental destruction, and disruption of essential services.
The Eastern Cape province bore the brunt of the storm, with local media reporting at least 10 fatalities and hundreds displaced due to the severe flooding.
Sithole emphasized that the scale and severity of the destruction warranted the classification of the event as a national catastrophe.
“After assessing the extent and severity… I have classified the impact caused by this violent weather system in the listed areas as a national disaster,” Sithole stated in an official notice.
The national disaster declaration allows the South African government to release emergency funds to the affected provinces, enabling them to begin the recovery process and address the damages caused by the floods.
This declaration comes as the country faces a significant challenge in responding to the widespread devastation caused by the extreme weather conditions.
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