Government has reaffirmed its dedication to supporting affected families, speeding up recovery efforts, and investing in long-term solutions to adapt to climate risks.
At the same time, citizens are encouraged to stay alert, follow official alerts, and promptly report any hazards to local authorities in case of bad weather.
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, along with the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli, conducted an oversight visit to the Impendle Local Municipality on Tuesday.
They assessed the damage caused by recent extreme weather conditions that left hundreds of residents displaced.
The visit comes in the wake of a Level 5 weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) last week.
Impendle was among the most severely affected areas in the province, following heavy windstorms that tore through homes and community infrastructure.
According to the department, a total of 140 households were affected, with 58 homes destroyed and 137 others partially damaged.
Meanwhile, about 962 people were directly impacted, with 31 families currently displaced and relying on the support of relatives and neighbours for shelter.
The hardest-hit communities are located across five wards, and the department said the disaster management teams from local, district, and provincial structures have been deployed to the area.
Meanwhile, relief efforts are underway, including the provision of temporary shelter, some of which is offered by community members, food parcels, and monetary vouchers for affected families.
Hlabisa commended the swift coordination between the different spheres of government and called for long-term resilience measures.
“What we are seeing here must push us to improve our response systems and build safer communities. We must not only rebuild but rebuild better.”
Ntuli echoed the importance of proactive planning and described this disaster as a “wake-up call”.
“Our systems must be more resilient to protect lives and livelihoods,” the Premier said.
The department said the leaders engaged with community members and disaster teams on the ground to ensure that immediate needs are met and that medium- to long-term recovery plans are well-informed.
In addition to addressing the situation in Impendle, government leaders extended condolences to the families of two people who lost their lives in eThekwini due to recent storm-related incidents.
“Sympathies were also extended to the families of 12 people who tragically died in a road accident involving a bus and truck in KwaZulu-Natal during the same period.”
According to the department, the incident comes as the province continues to experience more frequent and severe weather patterns, attributed to the growing impact of climate change.
As a result, the National Disaster Management Centre has been tasked with conducting thorough vulnerability assessments across the country to inform more targeted early warning systems, resilient infrastructure plans, and proactive community risk management.
On Friday last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Mthatha in the Eastern Cape to offer support and assess the damage following the recent floods that killed about 90 people.
The floods have caused widespread destruction to homes, government facilities, roads, hospitals, and schools, highlighting the urgent need to tackle climate change.
President Ramaphosa said that this is becoming a new reality for South Africa, with both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal experiencing recurring annual disasters.
