South Africa: Heavy Downpours Leave a Trail of Destruction in Four Local Municipalities

Johnnie Isaac / GroundUp (CC BY-ND 4.0)
Flooding in Silvertown informal settlement on February 8, 2023. Silvertown is in Komani in the Eastern Cape.
12 February 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Tembile Sgqolana

Two people lost their lives and one person is still missing after they were swept away by floods during the heavy rains this week in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

The persistent heavy rainfall in the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) in the Eastern Cape has claimed two more lives in Cofimvaba and Komani, and a third person is still missing.

More than 1,000 others were displaced in Komani informal settlements on Wednesday and are kept in Gali Thembani Special School while waiting for the temporary houses to be done this week.

According to CHDM spokesperson Bulelwa Ganyaza two bodies were discovered in Cofimvaba and Komani respectively on Saturday.

Read in Daily Maverick:https: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-09-one-fatality-reported-bridges-damaged-as-rain-lashes-parts-of-eastern-cape/

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Ganyaza said the rescue teams were still searching for more people who might have been swept away.

"Disaster management teams, emergency services and the South African Police Services (SAPS) have confirmed that at least two bodies have been recovered following floods that wreaked havoc in the areas this week," she said.

Ganyaza said the heavy downpours left a trail of destruction in four local municipalities, with two people reported to be missing in Cofimvaba in Intsika Yethu municipality on...

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