Malelane – President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on municipalities to prioritise the employment of town planners and strengthen the enforcement of by-laws.
President Ramaphosa made his remarks on Monday, 19 January 2026, after he touched down in the flood-hit Nkomazi Local Municipality and surrounding areas in Mpumalanga.
The President visited the province to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods and the response of the government.
At the weekend, the National Disaster Management Centre officially classified the inclement weather, which has ravaged Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Province, as a national disaster.
This follows loss of life, significant damage to infrastructure and property, environmental degradation, displacement of communities, disruption to schooling and agricultural activities, and closures in parts of the Kruger National Park.
During his visit, President Ramaphosa, accompanied by Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu and Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance MEC Speedy Mashilo, witnessed the desperate situation.
“This is a bad time for our people, and the situation prompted me to come and see for myself,” President Ramaphosa told residents.
“It is important that as leaders we should go out there and meet with our people.
“They need to have a sense that those who were elected to positions are with them.”
President Ramaphosa said municipalities need to ensure that by-laws were being adhered to.
He said capable town planners were needed to mitigate future disasters and suggested that young, qualified people should take up such positions.
The President said a ministerial committee would come up with a “quick” response to the disaster.
“I decided that I should come and give support. Children cannot go to school, and some valuable items have been destroyed.
“So this will be discussed and see what valuable response can be provided.
“We need to do more to deal with this disaster. The paramount issue to do all of this is to save lives,” Ramaphosa said.
The President shared that his thoughts were with families who have lost loved ones, the injured, individuals, businesses, and organisations who have lost property.
President Ramaphosa also hailed first responders, volunteers, and humanitarian organisations for their emphatic coordinated response to the devastation across affected provinces.
Gift of the Givers has been actively involved in providing aid to flood-stricken Mpumalanga, with significant efforts to assist affected communities.
Resident Jabulile Shongwe said: “We have hope that the situation will be turned around here because of the visit by the president and other government leaders.
“The infrastructure is damaged, especially roads are unusable, and we are unable to move around, especially our kids cannot go to school.”
