The rollout of social relief to communities affected by the severe thunderstorms that hit surrounding communities within the King Cetshwayo District has commenced in earnest.
Today we visited the community of Mabhunyeni in Ward 7 under Mfolozi Local Municipality and Ngwelezane under the uMhlathuze local municipality, where disaster management teams are still busy with assessments of the extent of the damage suffered by this community as a result of thunder storms that left a trail of destruction in surrounding areas.
During our visit, we were accompanied by senior officials from the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, which is responsible for the coordination of disaster relief and support in the province.
Part of the interim relief that the government has provided to the affected families includes food vouchers, which are being distributed to the families.
Strategic stakeholders such as the Department of Human Settlements have been engaged and will assist with the rollout of Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) to the families whose houses were completely damaged by the storm.
Assessments so far indicate that 126 houses were totally destroyed and 489 partially damaged.
One person lost their life, and two others were injured.
We continue to appeal to our communities to ensure that they follow building codes when constructing their homes.
Residents are also urged to take heed of weather warnings as and when they are issued.
Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi
Ends.