After heavy rain lashed the Eastern Cape this week, three people were killed and hundreds were displaced.
Residents in flood-prone Port St Johns had to flee to safety on Friday. Social media videos showed schoolchildren and residents wading through flooded areas on their way home, while several cars were seen submerged in water.
On Thursday, a man drowned after slipping over an embarkment while fishing in the Coffee Bay area of King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality.
According to the municipality, a preliminary report indicated that three local municipalities, Ingquza Hill, King Sabata Dalindyebo, and Port St John’s, had been severely impacted by the floods. The torrential rains have wreaked havoc on infrastructure, homes, and businesses in the area.
Unathi Binqose, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Transport, said mop-up operations are underway.
“Clean-up efforts are underway, with [teams] being brought in to remove some of the mud that has sledged towards the road. We couldn’t do it yesterday [Friday] because our engineers deemed it too dangerous and risky, as it could lead to another road collapse,” said Bingose in a statement.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) updated the weather warning to Orange (level 6) for disruptive rain in the Nyandeni, Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill Local Municipal areas.