News24 | Eastern Cape floods: Death toll rises to 90 as rescue efforts continue

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and President Cyril Ramaphosa at the flood-hit village of Decoligny in Mthatha on Friday.

• The death toll in the deadly floods in Mthatha has risen to 90.
• Rescuers continue searching for missing residents nearly a week after the deadly deluge.
• The Eastern Cape government has announced a day of mourning on Thursday, 19 June, as international aid arrives. 

The death toll in the devastating Eastern Cape floods has risen to 90, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said on Monday.

Of the 90 fatalities, 60 are adults and 30 children.

“Through the Department of Health, post-mortems have been completed on 83 bodies, which have been positively identified, with 77 released to their families,” the provincial government said on Monday afternoon.

Hundreds of residents in Mthatha from the heavily affected village of Decoligny were hit by a deadly deluge that led to their homes being submerged.

Almost a week later, rescuers are still searching for more bodies as some residents remain unaccounted for.

Speaking at a Youth Day event in Cacadu, formerly known as Lady Frere, on Monday, Mabuyane said the provincial government had declared Mthatha a disaster area.

READ | Body of missing 10-year-old girl found as Mthatha floods death toll rises to 88

The floods have left a trail of destruction, damaging infrastructure, including bridges, roads, 58 schools, and 20 healthcare centres.

Mabuyane said:

“Our priority now is to ensure that the people of these communities are accounted for so that we can help families bury their loved ones. After that, the government will speedily work with the people to rebuild and restore their livelihoods.”

Mthatha’s King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality said the deadly deluge had overshadowed the Youth Day commemorations.

“As we commemorate National Youth Day, our hearts are heavy with grief. This youth month will be remembered as one of the most tragic in our municipality’s history. Yet in the face of adversity, we are witnessing our community’s remarkable resilience, compassion, and unity,” the municipality added.

It said it was prioritising lifesaving interventions and working towards restoring critical infrastructure services.

READ | ‘We just want to find her remains’ - family of missing teen swept away by Mthatha floods

Mabuyane added there was an outpouring of compassion from various countries offering condolences and others providing material assistance, such as the United Arab Emirates and China.

“Our partners, such as Gift of the Givers, the Al-Imdaad Foundation, community organisations, businesses, and neighbours, have opened their doors, shared the little they have, and reminded us that we are stronger when we care for one another.

“These people understand that when disaster strikes, we do not play the blame game because disasters, by their definition, are unexpected events that no one plans,” he said.

Meanwhile, the provincial government declared Thursday, 19 June, a day of mourning for the victims.

It called on residents to report missing persons in areas affected by severe weather conditions around Tuesday, 10 June, to law enforcement as rescue operations continued.

“Our rescue and recovery teams continue to comb affected areas.”