News24 | Eastern Cape floods death toll rises to 57 as search continues for missing victims

Rescue teams near river banks of Decoligny village in Mthatha where a pile of dead bodies have been recovered after devastating floods in the Eastern Cape.

• The death toll from the devastating Eastern Cape floods has reached 57, and several people are unaccounted for.
• Among the dead are six Jumba Senior Secondary School pupils who lost their lives when their school transport vehicle was swept away during flooding.
• OR Tambo District Municipality Mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana said the tragedy was the first of its kind in the area.

The death toll from the floods that have battered the Eastern Cape has increased to 57, according to Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa.

He is leading a delegation of senior officials who are assessing the extent of the infrastructure damage caused by the severe floods that engulfed several areas, including Decoligny village near Mthatha, after severe weather hit the province.

Addressing the media in Mthatha on Thursday, along with Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and his provincial counterpart, Zolile Williams, Hlabisa said the situation was a “logistical nightmare” due to the large number of deaths, which was expected to increase.

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Several people are still missing.

“We would appeal to the media to be more sensitive, but we support transparency,” he added.

“We want to extend our gratitude to all our forces who have been on the ground at the time this disaster struck.”

Hlabisa added that the government would determine the extent of intervention necessary after carrying out a full assessment.

“On behalf of the government, I want to convey our condolences to all the people of Mthatha and the Eastern Cape, where a tragedy occurred as a result of the bad weather since the weekend,” he said.

“We have descended on Mthatha in order to give our support and ensure that when people are in a difficult situation, the government is not absent.”

Gwarube and Education MEC Fundile Gade also visited Jumba Senior Secondary School, which lost six pupils during the flooding when their school transport was swept away while crossing a flooded bridge. Three pupils were rescued, and four are still missing.

“We remain particularly concerned on our side regarding the four learners [from Jumba Senior Secondary who] are still missing. We look forward to supporting the search and rescue mission. This is a massive tragedy,” she said.

“We are here for you until the four children are found. For the children who died, we will ensure a decent funeral for them.”

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OR Tambo District Municipality Mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana said the tragedy was the first of its kind in the area.

“Quite a big number of our communities do not have access to water. Our engineers have covered some ground in the restoration of infrastructure. We hope that by [Friday] evening, communities would start having water,” he said, adding that some of the damaged water pumps were taken to East London for repairs.