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President Cyril Ramaphosa attends official briefing on the flood disaster response ahead of his visit to affected communities in Mthatha, Eastern Cape on June 13, 2025.
A body believed to be that of a young girl has been found along the banks of the Efata River in Mthatha, Eastern Cape. Recovery teams from the police and the provincial emergency services discovered the body.
The authorities expect the death toll, which stands at 79, to rise. More than 1000 others have been displaced due to flooding in the province.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Mthatha.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and Premier Oscar Mabuyane will accompany Ramaphosa as he visits the affected families.
Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa says post-mortems have been completed on 70 bodies.
She says they are making efforts to speed up the process after some of the health facilities experienced water challenges.
Capa says 30 bodies have already been released from the state mortuaries and handed over to the bereaved families.
She says, “Thirty bodies have been taken by their families already. At the forensic now, we are left with the balance and it’s not that they are not identified, it’s not unknown bodies, but families have not yet come in to identify. “
“Those who came in were able to identify who are these people. We are still waiting in terms of the procedure for the families to come and identify. We are sure by the end of today all of that would be done. We’ve done all the autopsy from all the bodies. We are only left with eight that were found yesterday. We are busy with them now,” Capa adds.
VIDEO | National and provincial govt support Eastern Cape:
Condolences
Parliament’s presiding officers have conveyed their condolences to the victims of severe weather conditions in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, saying that disasters of this magnitude demand a collective response.
There were strong winds, heavy rains, and snow in both provinces.
Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo says, “We call on individuals and organisations with the means to assist to extend a helping hand to those in need.” The presiding officers further emphasise the importance of adhering to official government guidance and cooperating fully with rescue and relief operations to ensure safety and an effective disaster response.”-Additional reporting by Zalene Merrington.
