Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Thembi Nkadimeng intends to declare a state of disaster in at least three KZN provincial districts that were battered by the recent heavy rains.

Three of these districts include eThekwini, KwaDukuza and uThukela.

The rain and floods have left a trail of destruction in the uThukela district, devastating Ladysmith, which lies on the banks of the Klip River.

Damage to government and residential infrastructure is estimated to run into billions of rands, and at least 13 lives in the region are said to have been lost, with rescue teams still searching for more missing people.

Nkadimeng said yesterday that Ladysmith was the hardest hit area in the region. KZN Cogta MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi and mayors of the local municipalities in uThukela visited various areas yesterday to observe the aftermath of the floods.

“It is heartbreaking to see such devastation, with people not knowing what to do. So far, the estimated damage to infrastructure is over R2.5b in the uThukela region alone. Parts of the N11 [linking Gauteng to the region through to Durban] are damaged and we have 11 schools that were destroyed during the floods.

“We are looking at having talks with the relevant authorities to declare a state of disaster in uThukela, eThekwini and KwaDukuza. There’s quite a lot to be done by the government, hence the call for declaring a state of disaster in these areas. No other area was hit like Ladysmith,” said Nkadimeng.

She said there were 13 confirmed deaths in the district, while the search is ongoing for more missing people who are presumed to have died in the floods.

“A study was done by the municipality [Alfred Duma] and it indicated that the town may have to be relocated due to its general placement.

“That decision will be dealt with later as now we are focusing on saving lives, rescuing and relocating people and rebuilding. So far, we have 59 fatalities in the province, of which six were struck by lightning.

“The overall provincial number of casualties is 59. Because there’s a level 5 warning for some parts of the province, our disaster management teams are on standby and are ready to move in when the call to do so is made. We have a police helicopter at our disposal, so we are ready for any eventuality.”

Nkadimeng said their teams are yet to visit KwaDukuza, which falls under the iLembe District Municipality. She said they would allow water levels to subside before they visit sometime next week.

“We have classified areas under uThukela District and iLembe that will be allowed to prioritise their budgets to focus all of it into flood and disaster relief,” said Nkadimeng.

She said the department will continue to monitor the situation around the province.