Africa-Press – South-Africa. More than R10 million in humanitarian relief has been spent in the flood-ravaged Western Cape as mop-up operations continue, according to the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
A series of cold fronts over the last week led to heavy rains, which caused severe flooding in some regions of the province.
Areas particularly hard hit were the Cape Winelands and West Coast.
“South Africans can fix South Africa. No challenge is insurmountable when people look beyond the brands, labels, uniforms and titles, when politics matters not, when the focus is unconditional service to fellow South African irrespective of class, colour, race, social strata, BEE points or Section 18A certificates, when all that matters is bringing hope, ease and relief,” foundation chairperson and founder Imtiaz Sooliman said.
He said R10 million had been spent so far and that the figure was likely to double.
He said:
With the provision of more of these items, along with school supplies, food parcels and building materials, the cost is likely to surpass R20 million, he added.
Gift of the Givers estimated that more than 10 000 people were affected by the flooding and at least 2 000 were displaced.
The inclement weather left in its wake inaccessible roads, fallen trees, raging rivers, fallen power lines, collapsed cellphone towers and mudslides.
The response required co-operation between the private sector, municipalities, provincial and local disaster management teams, helicopter crews, divers, paramedics, community members and donors, according to Sooliman.
Aid deliveries were made to communities in Strand, Faure, Mbekweni, Grabouw, Caledon, KTC, Nyanga, Bonteheuwel, Khayelitsha, Langa, Bishop Lavis, Mitchells Plain, Atlantis and Villiersdorp.
“Vehicles crossed low-lying, flooded bridges into Citrusdal, helicopters risked winds to fly items into Wupperthal, trucks were escorted through the closed Huguenot Tunnel into Rawsonville, to the applause, clamour, joy, ululation and dancing of these trapped, anxious and desperate communities waiting for up to seven days for the first delivery of essential supplies,” Sooliman said.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said a large-scale disaster management operation, which included numerous government departments, municipalities, and civil society organisations, had been launched in response to the flooding.
The provincial government said the initial focus was on mitigating the impact of the disaster, saving lives, and providing humanitarian aid.
The next phase will involve assessing the damages and rebuilding affected infrastructure.
“All our disaster officials worked around the clock. These kinds of operations can be difficult to manage, but their professionalism endured throughout this exceptionally difficult time, preventing further loss of life and damage to critical infrastructure. Thank you for all you do for our citizens,” Winde said.
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