PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA TO ASSESS FLOOD RESPONSE EFFORTS IN GQEBERHA

• President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, to evaluate the government’s response to recent devastating floods affecting multiple provinces, including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Free State.
• The National Disaster Management Centre, along with various national, provincial, and local departments, is actively working to provide relief and address the challenges faced by affected communities, with additional support from non-governmental organisations like the South African Red Cross Society and Gift of the Givers.
• President Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of immediate psychosocial support and humanitarian aid, acknowledging the extensive loss of life and destruction while committing the government to a thorough and responsive recovery process.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to visit Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to evaluate the response efforts of government departments, entities, and civil society groups following devastating floods. These severe weather conditions have wreaked havoc across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Free State, leading to significant loss of life and destruction of both public infrastructure and private property.

In the aftermath of the floods, officials from the National Disaster Management Centre have been deployed to the affected regions. They are working alongside various national, provincial, and local departments and agencies, including the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Department of Home Affairs, the National Department of Transport, the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Human Settlements, and the South African Social Security Agency, to address the myriad challenges faced by communities. As needs are identified, additional departments and entities will join the relief efforts.

The government is also collaborating with non-governmental organisations and humanitarian agencies such as the South African Red Cross Society and Gift of the Givers to provide essential relief. These organisations are delivering immediate psychosocial support and humanitarian aid to the affected communities, marking the first step in the arduous journey of rebuilding lives, homes, businesses, and public infrastructure.

President Ramaphosa expressed his sorrow over the tragedy, stating, “Even though we know winter can be harsh, we are nonetheless saddened when we lose loved ones and face devastation on the scale we have seen in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. At this difficult time, national and provincial authorities as well as civic organisations are working tirelessly to assist the affected communities with much-needed, immediate psychosocial support and humanitarian relief.”

He further assured that the government is committed to ensuring that the recovery process effectively meets the needs of the residents and facilitates the renewal of the affected areas.