VIDEO: Volkswagen plant up-and-running after Kariega floods

Volkswagen South Africa has confirmed that operations at its plant in Kariega, formerly Uitenhage, has continued after being impacted by the floods that left seven people dead and hundreds displaced over the weekend.

Watch flood waters in Volkswagen Plant

_{Video showing water gushing into Volkswagen’s Kariega Plant over the weekend. Clip supplied.}

Hardest hit of the three towns that make-up the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, the others being Despatch and Gqeberha, previously Port Elizabeth, close-on 300 mm of rain was said to have fallen with more expected from Tuesday.

NOW READ: Nelson Mandela Bay floods: At least seven dead, 500 residents relocated

On Monday the South African Weather Service said a level 6 warning had been issued for the area, with concerns mounting of a possible collapse of the Willow Dam located in the heart of Kariega.

Watch Kariega fire station being flooded below

Amidst a series of videos and images posted on social media, one showing the adjacent Swartkops river flooding the town’s fire station, a clip has also surfaced showing water pouring onto the factory floor suggesting complete flooding of the facility.

In a statement to The Citizen, Volkswagen South Africa said, “Only the body shop and press shop were affected by the heavy rainfall. Our team was able to mop up the facilities to ready them for today’s production”.

The facility, which produces the Polo Vivo and Polo for the local and export market, has, seemingly escaped serious damage unlike the rest of the area, which reportedly remains on high alert of more heavy downpours.

‘Serious disaster’

“We are confronting one of the most serious disasters that Kariega has experienced, the magnitude of the rain (272 mm of rain) was too high and our draining systems could not handle it,” Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams, said in a statement posted by the municipality on its Facebook page.

“This led to serious deviations, horrible scenes where the road infrastructure was swept away in KwaNobuhle, this affected the clinic that is on the side of the bridge therefore the communities cannot access it.

“Health services are availed to the community members at Babs Madlakane. Strategic infrastructural plans have been devised to assist the impacted communities”.

In a prior statement, the municipality added, “We are in the process of conducting more assessments to ascertain the risks, develop contingency plans and determine a cause of action for surrounding communities”.

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