Flooding in several districts of Limpopo left communities cut off, with authorities on high alert.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers says it has been inundated with calls to provide relief in Limpopo and Mpumalanga following heavy rain and flooding.
Both provinces are grappling with severe weather conditions as relentless rainfall has caused widespread flooding, school closures, infrastructure damage, and the suspension of flights.
Flooding
Flooding in several districts of Limpopo left communities cut off, with authorities on high alert as heavy rain continues to fall across Mopani, Vhembe, and parts of the Sekhukhune District.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said teams had spent the entire festive season addressing one disaster after another.
“Fires in Khayelitsha, Mossel Bay, Elim, Du Noon, and the Kouga Municipality District. Water crisis in Zoar, Ladysmith and Knysna, starving animals in Die Vlaktes. Gift of the Givers successfully responded to these and other areas.
“Now comes a request from the Premier of Mpumalanga, Mandla Ndlovu, and Premier of Limpopo, Phophi Ramathuba, the Chiefs of Staff, Heads of Disaster Management and the SAPS Heads from these areas to assist with flood intervention. Gift of the Givers has already mobilised teams and resources,” Sooliman said.
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Knysna water crisis
Sooliman added that the Garden Route Municipality District has also requested assistance to stave off Day Zero in Knysna.
On Tuesday, the Knysna Municipality warned that the town was facing an acute water crisis, with only 10 days of supply remaining in the Akkerkloof Dam.
Although the situation is still urgent, there has been a slight improvement since 8 January, when officials indicated there were 13 days of water left in the Akkerkloof Dam.
Tankers
Sooliman said Gift of the Givers will have two water tankers operational in the area.
“45 water tanks will be arriving to be placed in strategic locations throughout the city; 23 are sponsored by Jojo Tanks, 12 by Africa Tanks, and a supply of bottled water will also arrive to be distributed to hospitals, clinics, and homes for the elderly in association with the Department of Health.
“All these are arranged by Gift of the Givers. The Plettenberg Bay Municipality has now called for assistance, they want to resuscitate some of their boreholes, we will look into that,” Sooliman said.
On Wednesday, Airlink said it suspended all flights to and from Hoedspruit in Limpopo due to severe flooding that has left many roads impassable and restricted access to the airport, which serves communities in the area, the nearby Kruger National Park, and surrounding lodges and resorts.
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