Twenty homes were destroyed in the early hours of Monday morning when a river separating Bhanya and Bhekuzulu township in Vryheid burst its banks, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said.
Disaster management experts were assessing the damage, said Lennox Mabaso, spokesperson for co-operative governance MEC Nomusa Dube.
“They are also liaising with the local municipality to provide safety and temporary relief to the displaced people in the form of a hot meal and shelter,” he said.
Dube said in a statement that municipal stormwater drains should be regularly serviced so they could deal with flooding.
“We call on municipalities in the province to conduct regular inspections on their storm water and drain systems,” she said.
She also called on KwaZulu-Natal communities not to build their homes along riverbanks - something which increased vulnerability to flooding. -
Sapa