WATCH: KZN DA calls for declaration of disaster area following severe weather

The DA in KZN has extended its sincere condolences to the victims of the recent storm and called for the declaration of disaster areas in regions ravaged by Monday’s severe weather.

This is after an oversight visit to the affected areas, led by party provincial leader Francois Rodgers together with his entourage of local councillors.

The oversight visit revealed total carnage, which claimed at least five lives and left over 1 000 people homeless, while hundreds of homes have been badly damaged.

Rodgers said they will be writing to the KZN Director-General to formalise this request.

He said it was more worrying that the provincial government seems to have learnt few lessons from past natural disasters.

“Our oversight exposed a significant lack of lifesaving interventions such as lack of an early warning system, lack of evacuation plan, lack of priority for injured persons and lack of proactive approach, coupled with a slow response,” said Rodgers.

He said declaring the affected communities as disaster areas would allow for much-needed relief intervention to be released swiftly.

Meanwhile, the KZN government classified uThongathi as the most affected area, with hundreds of houses severely destroyed.

While areas such as uMgababa south of the eThekwini Metro, eShowe, Utrecht, Osizweni and KwaHlabisa were also severely affected.

Public infrastructure such as schools, roads, community halls and healthcare facilities were affected.

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