Mthatha – The flood death toll in the Eastern Cape has risen to 57 and fears are that could rise even further as rescuers search through the rubble of houses that collapsed.
Rescue teams resumed their search for missing people Thursday after floods devastated rural parts of the province.
Police divers, community volunteers, and an NSRI Wilderness crew were assisting in the search and rescue.
The previous day, the confirmed death toll stood at 49.
So grave is the situation, President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the affected area on Friday (13 June 2025).
The President is expected to gain first-hand information about the disaster, that saw a 22-seater bus carrying school children being swept away.
President Ramaphosa is expected to interact with the affected households.
His anticipated visit follows that of two Cabinet ministers who, are members of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Democratic Alliance (DA).
The tragic incident did not only send shockwaves to the local and provincial authorities but to the national government as well.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velinkosi Hlabisa and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube visited the province on Thursday (12 June 2025).
Minister Hlabisa, who is the IFP leader, conveyed his sympathies to bereaved families.
“It is very sad to witness 57 people who are now reported in terms of the report we received this morning,” Minister Hlabisa said.
“A number 57 is not just a figure, but human beings some of whom were breadwinners and others were the only children in their families.
“We said we must be a government that is present to people and that is why we decided to come down from yesterday to be here today and tomorrow.”
Minister Hlabisa said his department will use its part of its disaster grant allocation to assist.
“The first thing we are going to do is to visit the families we can be able to visit but also to ensure that we visit the affected areas because as Cogta we need to intervene under disaster grant’s allocation,” Minister Hlabisa said.
The minister pleaded with people to refrain from erecting houses in flood-prone areas or near streams to avoid endangering their lives.
Minister Hlabisa said in the future, the government would have to act harshly against people living in such dangerous places.
“The message I want to convey to all our people, including the area on which we are stand is that all these houses were flooded because the people are on a river bank, and this a flood plane area.,” Minister Hlabisa said.
“So as the government, we must take a tough stance at everyone who is living in a plain.”
Meanwhile Basic Education Minister Gwarube said they were also shocked by the deaths of the pupils as their parents were still expecting a lot from them and her department would continue to work closely with the grieving families.
Several schoolchildren, including their driver, died when their minibus scholar transport was swept away by the floods.
