PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a National State of Disaster following widespread flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, saying the country needs to increase its investment in climate adaptation measures to better safeguard communities against the effects of climate change.
Over the last week, communities along parts of the country’s eastern coast have been devastated by catastrophic flooding. On April 11 and 12, parts of KwaZulu-Natal received between 200 mm and 400 mm of rainfall in 24 hours.
To date, a total of 443 people are known to have lost their lives in KwaZulu-Natal.
About 48 people are missing or unaccounted for.
The rains of the last week have caused extensive damage to houses, businesses, roads, bridges and water, electricity, rail and telecommunications infrastructure.
Areas located close to rivers and waterways – particularly informal settlements – were severely affected and many dwellings were swept away.
Nearly 4 000 homes have been completely destroyed and over 8 300 homes have
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