Sunday, 09 January
7h ago
The Buffalo City Metropolitan municipality will, on Sunday, start mop-up operations in Mdantsane, East London, where one person died after floods.
The municipality spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the operations would be led by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Mayor Xola Pakati.
They will also be joined by the MECs for human settlements Nonceba Kontsiwe and cooperative governance and traditional affairs Xolile Nqatha.
Ngwenya said while the municipality first reported that two people had died, it was actually only one.
Another person was sent to hospital with injuries, he said.
It’s bad in Mdantsane pic.twitter.com/gmDZ0PAG60
He said the government would assess damage in Duncan Village and Mdantsane Zone 1 and 3.
“They will be visiting those areas and assessing damage in terms of what happened. They will also be looking at what can be done for displaced families.”
Ngwenya said the government was working with NGOs such as the Gift of the Givers to assist affected communities.
The City has also activated disaster management teams, including fire services, traffic services, and law enforcement – following floods caused by heavy rains in the area. The municipality remains on high alert following continuous heavy rains in and around East London, Ngwenya said.
READ | Buffalo City activates disaster management teams amid heavy floods in East London
“Yesterday, we were all over the place trying to manage the damage. Today we should be in a better position to have an assessment of how many homes were affected, how many families have been displaced and maybe an estimated cost of the damage.”
He said it was also hard to say how many families were affected because some didn’t want to be evacuated.
“Some families wanted to leave, and some wanted to stay behind. In informal settlements, it is easier to evacuate people. In formal households, some people don’t really want to leave their homes even if they are damaged.”
Kontsiwe’s spokesperson Yanga Funani said: “The issue of disaster relief is the competency of Buffalo City Metro Municipality. The provincial department will further see if there could be any joint assistance.”
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