The provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo are facing a reconstruction bill running into billions of rands following a period of prolonged and devastating rainfall, with authorities urgently calling for private sector and philanthropic aid.
The assessment was delivered by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, during an oversight visit to flood-ravaged areas of Mpumalanga on Thursday. He was accompanied by Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu and the head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Dr Elias Sithole.
The delegation visited the Mbombela and Bushbuckridge Municipalities to survey the widespread destruction. The human and infrastructural toll is severe, with over one thousand homes affected. Many houses have either collapsed or remain waterlogged, leaving families displaced.
The damage to critical infrastructure is equally catastrophic. In one area alone, five bridges were damaged, with one bridge claiming two lives just this week due to floodwaters. This adds to many more bridges and roads that have suffered severe damage across the province.
Outlining the financial scale of the crisis, Premier Mandla Ndlovu stated the province has been hit by a “conflagration.”
“The damage estimation up to so far is roughly close to R2 billion. With our fiscals, we cannot be able to fix all the damages that we have incurred here as a province,” Ndlovu said. He made a direct appeal for assistance: “We want to request all the good Samaritans, business people, foundations to contribute here in the province.”
Echoing the premier’s concerns, Minister Hlabisa confirmed that Mpumalanga and Limpopo are the worst affected provinces. He revealed that the financial burden extends far beyond Mpumalanga’s preliminary estimates.
“The premier has said approximately R2 billion in Mpumalanga. The province cannot afford to meet the reconstruction to that magnitude,” Hlabisa said. “We also heard that in Limpopo the repair is about R1.7 billion and the reconstruction about R4 billion rand. Obviously, the Limpopo province also cannot on its own able to meet this cost.”
The minister indicated that a formal determination on government intervention would follow their assessments.
The disaster has also taken a tragic human toll. Authorities confirmed that 20 people have lost their lives in Mpumalanga due to the floods. With more rain forecast for both provinces, the situation remains critical, raising concerns about further damage and risk to residents.