Still no assistance for many EC families affected by floods

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Victims of heavy rains and storms that struck the Eastern Cape are still struggling to get assistance from the authorities.

SABC News spoke to two families whose dwellings were affected in two separate incidents in the Mqanduli area.

Severe weather conditions between 2016 and 2021 affected as many as 200 households in the Lower Ngqwarha area, but only a few received assistance.

Seventy-seven-year-old Ndikho Mpokophi is one of the victims.

“I tried to patch this house so that we could come back home. We stayed for a while, then another hurricane came and took out the roof and left this one. We had to ask neighbours to accommodate us again.”

The Human Settlements Department has declined to comment on the matter. A local ward committee member, Nkosiphendule Madlebetsha, says they have alerted the department but it has not assisted the flood victims.

“We continuously submitted reports as we are waiting; the disaster department always tell us that they have sent the reports to Human Settlements. Human Settlements cannot build RDP houses because of the phase one project that is underway at Mqanduli location, they are building RDP houses there.”

Eastern Cape families affected by devastating floods still living in dire conditions