Floods Hit Buffalo City In Eastern Cape, 1,200 Displaced

Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape witnessed severe flooding over the weekend, leaving around 1,300 people displaced. The search and rescue operations have begun, as per the metro, while President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his condolences after the tragic incident.

The metro said on Monday that a pedestrian got knocked down in the Westbank, on a flooded street while a 13-year-old was rescued in Amalinda Forest. The metro reported that over a thousand people have been displaced while seven died.

"The Buffalo City Metro is intervening in areas that have been impacted by floods... Rescue operations are continuous as emergency teams remain on high alert. Search and rescue teams are still searching for a missing 20-year-old who was washed away near Dawn in East London," the metro said, SA News reported.

It further said that the displaced residents have been accommodated in community halls in Mdantsane, Braelyn and Mzamomhle while others are taking shelter in chalets, old age homes and temporary housing structures.

According to the report, a total of 11 wards across the city have been affected including Ducats, Pefferville, Duncan Village, Cambridge Location, Mzamomhle, Reeston, Stoney Drift, Mdantsane and Gompo.

The Buffalo City Metro is working with the Department of Social Development, Gift of the Givers and Living Hope to provide clothes, groceries, blankets and food parcels to the displaced people.

The metro's executive Mayor Princess Faku on Monday morning visited Duncan Village, Mdantsane and Stoney Drift with Gift of the Givers, the largest disaster response non-governmental organization.

"Thus far, 800 temporary structures are being verified to be included in the database," the metro said. All teams have been assigned to the different regions. The main challenge is fallen electrical poles leading to cables and transformers being dysfunctional."

Ramaphosa expressed his sadness over the tragic incident on Monday morning and said, "The loss of life, destruction of public infrastructure and the loss of personal property brought about by the forces of nature saddens all of us as South Africans."

He urged everyone to work together to overcome the aftermath of these occurrences. The president also warned South Africans to keep safe by heeding weather alerts and restraint from going out in poor weather conditions.

Meanwhile, the metro urged residents to be on high alert as more disruptive rain is predicted.