“This catastrophe is part of climate change. It tells us that climate change is serious, it’s here,” Ramaphosa said, visiting the flooded areas of Durban and the surrounding eThekwini metropolitan area.
“We can no longer postpone what we need to do and the measures we need to take to tackle climate change,” he said.
The death toll is expected to continue to rise as search and rescue operations continue in KwaZulu-Natal province, officials said. The province is to be declared a disaster area by the national government, Ramaphosa said.
“KwaZulu-Natal is going to be declared a disaster area so we can do things quickly. Bridges have collapsed, roads have collapsed, people have died and people are injured,” Ramaphosa said.
Residents rescue the ruins of the United Methodist Church of South Africa in Clermont, near Durban, on Wednesday. (Phill Magakoe / AFP / Getty Images)
He said one family lost 10 members in the devastating floods.
Residents were forced to flee their homes as they were swept away, buildings collapsed and road infrastructure was severely damaged. The port of Durban was flooded and the containers of ships were swept away in a tangled pile.
Authorities also tried to restore electricity to large parts of the province following heavy flooding at various power stations.
Efforts to rescue South Africa’s national defense were delayed as the army’s air wing was also affected by the floods, said General Rudzani Maphwanya. The army was able to deploy personnel and helicopters around the province on Wednesday, he said.
The Meteorological Agency of South Africa has warned of continuous winds and rains and the danger of ongoing floods in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces this coming Easter weekend. The southern Cape, Free State and North West provinces of South Africa could be affected, he said.
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