New national disaster in South Africa

Deadly floods across parts of South Africa have been classified as a national disaster.

Heavy rainfall, strong winds, lightning and flooding have resulted in loss of life, significant damage to infrastructure and property, environmental degradation and displacement of communities, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a statement on Sunday. 

The affected areas include Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West provinces, where schools and farmers have seen disruptions to their activities.

Some parts of the iconic Kruger National Park were also shut. After consultations with several state bodies, the chief of the National Disaster Management Centre classified it a national disaster, the statement added. 

The classification follows a comprehensive assessment of adverse weather conditions since late November, and visits by President Cyril Ramaphosa to Limpopo Province on 15 January and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to Mpumalanga two days later. 

All state organs are required to bolster disaster management systems, implement contingency measures, submit progress reports to the NDMC, and ensure a coordinated, multisectoral approach to prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation, the government said.