President Cyril Ramaphosa has Wednesday, 24 April 2019 visited flood ravaged KwaZulu-Natal on his return from a working visit to Egypt.
During the visit, the President assessed areas severely damaged by floods. He also reviewed recovery efforts.
President Ramaphosa returned to South Africa in the course of the day following a working visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, where he attended an emergency African Union (AU) Troika Summit convened to discuss the political and security situations in Sudan and Libya.
This morning, authorities revealed that the floods had claimed the lives of 51 people.
“As South Africans, the entire nation’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, who have been affected by the forces of nature against which they had little defence.
“Our hearts go out particularly to families and communities who have been directly affected by death, injury and the loss of property. This situation calls on all of us to pull together as a country to reach out to affected communities and to help alleviate their hardship,” the President said.
The President has welcomed the response of provincial authorities and national agencies to the calamity, as well as the support and goodwill – material and otherwise – provided by various sectors of civil society.
President Ramaphosa reiterated government’s call for communities to avoid crossing low-lying bridges, streams and rivers; and for motorists to exercise caution and avoid driving in flooded areas.