It is a “disaster of enormous proportions” according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, on the move this Wednesday in Durban.
The recent devastating floods in South Africa, the worst in the country's history, have claimed 259 lives, according to a latest report from the Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) provincial disaster management office.
Local authorities said they were dealing with an influx of bodies into morgues.
The record rainfall, which since last weekend has reached a level not recorded for more than sixty years in this region open to the Indian Ocean, has left behind devastated landscapes.
“The bridges have collapsed.
The roads have collapsed.
People died.
Our people are hurt.
It is a disaster of enormous proportions,” said the head of state.
In places around Durban, landslides have left giant gaps in the earth as if split by torrents of water.
Dozens of people are missing, rescuers described "a nightmare".
Buried families
During his visit, Ramaphosa visited bereaved families.
In Clermont, a poor suburb of Durban, he promised government aid to a father who lost his four children, buried in the collapse of a section of their house.
With joined hands, the man told the head of state about the water rising in the middle of the night, the electricity cut, his children asleep in another room and whom he failed to save.
The rains are expected to slowly decrease in the evening, according to meteorologists.
This region, which saw massive destruction during an unprecedented wave of rioting and looting in July, was already seeing less rainfall.
In a humid heat, some were clearing around collapsed buildings.
On roads strewn with debris, others were scattering sand to fill gaping holes, an AFP journalist noted.
“Climate change is getting worse”
Some schools have opened their doors but the benches have mostly remained empty.
The army was mobilized to provide air support during the evacuations.
Thousands of homes were destroyed, at least 140 schools were affected, according to local authorities.
For several days, the main roads have also been submerged in a brownish molasses, on which the signs and traffic lights float.
Mountains of branches, bottles and rubbish were washed onto Durban's beaches, which are usually popular with tourists and families.
Port activity was suspended, containers were washed away.
Looting has been reported.
The heavy rains also led to power cuts and disrupted water supplies.
Rail links have been suspended and residents urged to avoid travel.
“We know that it is climate change that is getting worse, we have gone from extreme storms in 2017 to supposed record floods in 2019, but clearly exceeded today in 2022”, warned Mary Galvin, professor of Development Studies at the University of Johannesburg.
In 2019, floods in the region and the neighboring province of Eastern Cape had already claimed 70 lives and devastated several coastal villages in mudslides.
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