President Ramaphosa Pledges Govt Support for Kariega Flood Victims

President Ramaphosa emphasized the government's commitment to providing medical care for the injured and ensuring displaced individuals receive adequate temporary accommodation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured the residents of Kariega in the Eastern Cape that the government will step in to assist them following the devastating floods that have struck the region. At least nine people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced. The damage to infrastructure and housing is estimated to be in the billions of rands.

Speaking in Kariega on Friday, President Ramaphosa reassured the community that they are not alone during this challenging time. "The storm has caused great damage in this place. Government must come and help and it will help. Within 30 days, we will have provided temporary housing for those who have lost their houses. In the meantime, we will have accommodation for those who have been displaced."

Expressing his sorrow over the situation, he added, "This is very painful and I am very sorry that we have this situation. But I want to assure you that government will walk this road with you."

The government will also extend support to those who have lost loved ones. "The local government is here. The provincial government is here and all its departments as well as the national departments. The extent of the damage is huge. It's a disaster and we are going to deal with it as a disaster. The sad part is that there are people who have died. We, as government, are going to help those families where people have died, and our social welfare department is going to support those families as much as we can and make sure that burials do happen."

President Ramaphosa emphasized the government's commitment to providing medical care for the injured and ensuring displaced individuals receive adequate temporary accommodation. "There are people who are injured… who have had to go to hospital and we are going to make sure that they get good healthcare once they are in hospital. Those people who have become displaced… we are going to make sure that they are put in a safe place and moved from that safe place and put in temporary accommodation, which we are in the process of preparing and building."

He expressed gratitude to churches and organizations like the Gift of the Givers for their prompt assistance. "We are grateful that we have our churches… that have come through and helped the people. We say thank you very much. We also want to thank other people, like the Gift of the Givers… They are very good and they move very quickly when there are disasters. We thank them for that… We are thankful to have an organization like the Gift of the Givers."