Eastern Cape Floods Affect Matriculants Waiting for Results, Leave 100s Homeless and 14 Dead

• On 8 January severe flash floods began in Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape, causing widespread damage
• The floods left hundreds of people homeless and claimed 14 lives, including a matric pupil who was eager to find out her results
• The flood damage is being assessed by the Eastern Cape's Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department

EASTERN CAPE - On 8 January severe flash floods began in Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape, causing widespread damage. The floods left hundreds of people homeless and claimed 14 lives.

One of the deceased was a matric pupil, aged 18, whose family said was eager to see her matric results, which are being released this month. She died when her shack was washed away in the flood.

According to News24, two public halls are being used to temporarily house 70 of the people who have lost their homes in the flood. However, there are hundreds of Buffalo City residents who are homeless and don't know when they will be housed.

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Eastern Cape government assists flood victims

The flood damage is being assessed by the Eastern Cape's Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department. The department is also helping families of the deceased with funeral arrangements.

EWN reports that the department is working in partnership with the Gift of the Givers to provide relief for the displaced flood victims in the form of temporary shelter, clothes and food items. They had to get more items from KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, because the Eastern Cape office did not have enough supplies.

"People need mattresses, blankets, hygiene packs. School is opening in a week's time. These parents are already bought school uniforms, clothing, books, stationery - it's all washed away," a spokesperson said.

Reactions to the Eastern Cape floods

Rahema Busisiwe Ditshego said:

"May their souls rest in peace."

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Mphaphuli Nicent Mukumela said:

"So sad."

Eloise Wright shared:

"May her soul rest in peace. Condolences to the family."

Emmanuel Dzumba remarked:

"They voted ANC again."

Yougam Phillip said:

"Devastating. RIP, gone too soon."

Baptism drowns 2 people in Free State, SAPS issues warning after increased drownings

Speaking of floods, Briefly News previously reported that on 22 December a 21-year-old priest in Bothaville took a few members of his congregation to a river outside Kroonstad so that they could be baptised.

Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), said that a woman of 41 years and the young priest were washed away while he was baptising her.

Makhele said that their corpses were discovered several kilometres from the scene of the baptism. He added that churches should avoid activities that involved large bodies of water as the increased water level could have fatal consequences.

Source: Briefly News