Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Deputy Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng, will this week assess the extent of damage caused by rains that ravaged parts Mpumalanga.

The province, like other parts of the country, over the past week experienced persistent heavy rains that left a trail of destruction.

In a statement, the department said inclement weather destroyed properties and infrastructure such as roads, bridges and other crossings in a number of areas.

“The Deputy Minister will join disaster management teams that are providing the much needed assistance to the affected communities.”

With the national state of disaster declared, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) continues to coordinate with all Provincial Disaster Teams to mitigate the impact.

This as government declared a National State of Disaster to enable an intensive, coordinated response to the impact of floods that have affected Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape and North West provinces.

The declaration, made in terms of the Disaster Management Act of 2002, was gazetted by CoGTA Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The Deputy Minister will assess the extent and impact of the damages and further reinforce relief measures for affected communities.

“As a caring government, we are continually calling for the heightening of the risk caused by floods,” said the department.

Source: South African Government News Agency