KZN floods: Ramaphosa announces national state of disaster

Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Monday evening on government’s response to the catastrophic floods in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape.

A total of 443 people have been confirmed dead in KZN and 48 people are either missing or unaccounted for.

Nearly 4 000 homes have been completely destroyed while over 8 300 homes have been partially damaged.

An estimated 40 000 people have also been displaced by the floods.

Ramaphosa said the provincial state of disaster, which was declared last week, will be inadequate to deal with the scale of the emergency.

“With the heavy rains and flooding in the Eastern Cape and indications from the South African Weather Service that the North West and Free State may also be affected by bad weather, it is clear that there are other areas of the country that need emergency intervention. 

"Cabinet therefore met in a special session last night and decided to declare a national state of disaster. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will gazette the declaration. 

"This is to ensure an effective response across all spheres of government to the extreme weather events that have occurred in several parts of the country."

He said government will coordinate its response to the disaster in three phases.

“First, we will focus on immediate humanitarian relief, ensuring that all affected persons are safe and that their basic needs are met. 

"Second, we will focus on stabilisation and recovery, rehousing people who have lost homes and restoring provision of services. Third, we will focus on reconstruction and rebuilding."