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President Cyril Ramaphosa meets with residents of Clermont who lost family members in the floods. Ramaphosa was in Durban on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground. Picture: REUTERS/ ROGAN WARD
President Cyril Ramaphosa meets with residents of Clermont who lost family members in the floods. Ramaphosa was in Durban on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground. Picture: REUTERS/ ROGAN WARD

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation on Easter Monday at 9pm on the country’s ongoing response to catastrophic floods that have devastated parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, the presidency said.

Widespread floods have seen the death toll in KwaZulu-Natal rise to 443, with an estimated 63 people still missing.

Although operations have gradually resumed at the Durban port, its container terminal remains largely inaccessible and many businesses have been left in limbo, while logistics are in chaos. Insurance companies predict losses worth hundreds of millions of rand.

Ramaphosa’s address comes a day after the cabinet held a special meeting on Sunday to assess the social and economic aftermath of flooding in the two provinces and work under way to provide relief and to rebuild.

The presidency said Ramaphosa has since the start of the emergency undertaken consultations with the National Disaster Management Centre and the interministerial committee on disaster management. 

Ramaphosa postponed a working visit to Saudi Arabia to focus on the government’s intervention in the flood disaster.

gumedemi@businesslive.co.za

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