President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to return to Port St Johns after three months to assess progress made by government who committed to help the community after the recent floods.
This comes after his visit on Tuesday, 28 March to assess the damage that left scores of people homeless after their houses were submerged in water recently. The victims were accommodated at Port St Johns Youth Centre.
During his visit Ramaphosa said when the same incident occurred in 2019, he did not have a chance to visit the affected areas.
“What makes me happy is that the contractors are ready to commence with the provision of temporary shelters for those who are affected. Some of the victims who were living in this shelter have now been taken by their relatives. There are only 19 (left) who are still here. I also thank the Gift of the Givers for lending a helping hand,” said Ramaphosa.
“I have heard that the bridges have been damaged and about 11 000 children will not be able to go to school. We are going to seek assistance from the South African Defense Force (SANDF) to assist in building those bridges so that things can go back to normal.”
Ramaphosa added that Port St Johns is the most beautiful city in South Africa, with beautiful rivers that attract tourists. “So we want it to have investors and many beautiful things that will attract more tourists.”
Ramaphosa’s visit came at the back of concerted relief efforts to by local authorities aimed at bringing a semblance of solace for the victims.
According to a statement issued by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) provincial manager, Ndlelantle Pinyana, collaborative efforts by the Department of Health, Gift of the Givers and South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) have seen victims being provided with blankets, comfort packs, shoes, sleeping bags and water.
“There are local members of non-governmental organisations providing health care services as well,” said Pinyana.
He added that the Department of Home Affairs is on-site collecting a list of those in need of identity documents in order to assist them.
“As part of District Development Model (DDM), Port St Johns falls within the Eastern Seaboard Development Corridor and is earmarked to be a smart city. This is one of government’s commitments in an effort to expedite infrastructure development needs in Port St Johns,” Pinyana added.
