EC flooding death toll rises to 97 as COGTA warns MPs that the numbers may rise
CAPE TOWN - The cooperative governance department has told Parliament that two more people have been confirmed dead in the devastating floods in the Eastern Cape, warning that the numbers may rise. Doctor Bongani Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre, briefed the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs on Tuesday morning on their multi-departmental consolidated report on the province, which is still reeling from the devastating floods. Sithole also gave an update on the death toll, which now stands at 97. "Ninety-five people had been confirmed dead. This morning, we've since received an update but the HOD will confirm later. The number is 97, 23 of which are schoolgoing children." With the death toll rising, he said that the Eastern Cape would also require no less than R5 billion to repair the damage caused by the floods. Sithole said that the province suffered damage across several sectors and municipalities.
"The cost of repairing damaged infrastructure is estimated at R5.1 billion and then R3.2 billion across sector departments and R1.8 billion for municipal infrastructure."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Barefoot and brave: Line dancers undress to impress for charity
It takes eight co-ordinated steps to complete a synchronised line dancing square, 12 women to become calendar girls and a shared interest to raise money for charity. Whether it was the boot-scooting beats or the merriment of the approaching festive season, members of the Dancing Boots line dancing club, in Boksburg, surrendered their Stetsons and tasseled vests to create a risqué calendar in aid of East Rand Palliative Care (ERPC), formerly known as Hospice East Rand. Having ERPC personal care volunteers in their midst, the dancing damsels soon learnt about the practical challenges these individuals, who offer bathing services to those registered for palliative care, often face. 'We started dancing together in 2021 and have become close friends. In an effort to offer assistance to the ERPC volunteers, we decided to create a tasteful and discreet nude calendar,' said instructor Debbie Botha. In 2013, one of the line dancer's life was irrevocably changed when sudden weight loss led to a cancer diagnosis. 'I battled through the diagnosis, faced a double mastectomy as bravely as I could and am grateful to be in remission,' said Louise Agiolitti, of Bonaero Park. 'When Debbie asked for 'models' for the calendar I jumped at the opportunity.' Armed with a pair of pink boxing gloves and ballet shoes, Louise said that the experience was freeing. 'Your body should be celebrated and bear testament to the battles you have faced,' said the bubbly blonde. 'Our line dancing group carried me as I was rebuilding my life but being part of the calendar was the greatest celebration of an emotional war I have overcome.' Taking a leisurely sip of her tea, Louise Kruger, of Sunward Park, said forming part of the project was south of her comfort zone, but that she wanted to show her support to those battling life-changing and life-limiting diseases. 'It was an empowering experience! Little did I know that only a couple of months later, I would be the recipient of a life-altering diagnosis. I am currently undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.' Dabbing tears from eyes, Lea Kirsten, also of Sunward Park, said dancing and ultimately becoming a 'calendar girl' has given her the strength to continue her fight against stage four pancreatic cancer. 'Friendship lives within our group, the steps and paces weaving together women with heart and unwavering care,' she said, a smile bursting through the tears. Photographer and project co-ordinator Jacqui Fernandez, of Libradene, said the experience not only gave the models a confidence boost but freed them from the shackles of conformity. 'Whether spoken or not, every single one of them had to steel themselves to appear in front of a camera naked and vulnerable,' said the Mrs South Africa 2015 semi-finalist. 'Stepping in front of the lens, they had to fight their own demons. The burning desire to selflessly stand united with others, willed them to shine bright beyond their uncertainties.' Sales of the calendar raised R5 500. Funds were used to create handy care kits for the four teams of ERPC personal care volunteers. The kits include inflatable basins for ease when washing the hair of a patient who is confined to their beds, as well as implements that will assist in comfortably moving patients. Isabella Pretorius, ERPC volunteer co-ordinator, said the well thought-out kits will greatly assist volunteers to offer dignified and gentle care, in the comfort of their patients' homes. The calendar is no longer available for sale. For more information about ERPC, its services and how you can get involved call 011 422 1531. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Government still has no plan to replace US HIV funding, Health organisations are demanding action
'We are determined not to let people die,' reads a letter from the Global HIV Treatment Coalition and civil society organisations sent to the presidency and health minister Aaron Motsoaledi. The letter demands that the government gets its act together on a fully costed emergency plan to deal with the loss of HIV funding. This follows billions of rand for HIV and TB programmes being withdrawn after the Trump administration cut funding for USAID and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in January. In 2024, PEPFAR provided about R7.5 billion to South Africa. Vulnerable people, known as 'key populations ', such as sex workers have lost access to vital HIV programmes that delivered ARVs, USAID-funded clinics have closed down, and health workers have been retrenched. HIV activists say the health department has 'not taken concerted action' to address these funding cuts, and that 'Parliament, the National and Provincial AIDS Councils, and everyone else in the country are in the dark regarding the emergency plan and action required'. The letter is signed by Zackie Achmat and Anneke Meerkotter on behalf of the Global HIV Treatment Coalition. About 200 people, including leading activists, doctors and public health advocates, as well as over 70 organisations have endorsed it. The country's HIV programmes are also facing a further blow to funding after The Global Fund announced that its allocations would be reduced. The letter demands that the health minister provides information on the impact of US funding cuts and details of the national and provincial government's emergency plans. It calls for the government to meet with civil society and health sector leaders to review the plan. A month ago, activists warned Parliament's health portfolio committee about the looming health crisis and that people were struggling to access antiretrovirals. The letter refers to a study which estimates that from 2025 to 2028, the discontinuation of PEPFAR could result in a 29% to 56% increase in new HIV infections, and 56,000 to 65,000 additional AIDS-related deaths. Neither the presidency nor national health department responded to a request for comment. In his budget speech in May, the finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, stated that no new allocations are being made to deal with the withdrawal of US funding for HIV-related services. But he stated that such funding may be issued later in the year. We reported at the time: Officials from the National Health Department have been in negotiations with Treasury over the last few months about securing emergency funding in order to cover the PEPFAR cuts. The emergency funds could come from Treasury's contingency reserve, which exists partially in order to cover unexpected funding shortfalls. It may also be financed through borrowing. The health department's proposal for emergency funding had apparently been insufficiently detailed. It needed to provide more information about how the money would actually be spent. We understand that the health department has also put in a separate application to the National Treasury to cover the cuts to research funding by the US. This follows a decision by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to effectively cancel grants to researchers in South Africa (see a detailed explanation here). Two large private donors have offered to assist with this if the government puts up a certain amount. To understand the effects of the US funding cuts, GroundUp and Spotlight made a request on 25 June to the National Health Laboratory Service under the Promotion of Access to Information Act for data going back to 2015, including the monthly number of HIV viral load, CD4, TB and syphilis tests. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Eyewitness News
EC flooding death toll rises to 97 as COGTA warns MPs that the numbers may rise
CAPE TOWN - The cooperative governance department has told Parliament that two more people have been confirmed dead in the devastating floods in the Eastern Cape, warning that the numbers may rise. Doctor Bongani Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre, briefed the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs on Tuesday morning on their multi-departmental consolidated report on the province, which is still reeling from the devastating floods. Sithole also gave an update on the death toll, which now stands at 97. "Ninety-five people had been confirmed dead. This morning, we've since received an update but the HOD will confirm later. The number is 97, 23 of which are schoolgoing children." With the death toll rising, he said that the Eastern Cape would also require no less than R5 billion to repair the damage caused by the floods. Sithole said that the province suffered damage across several sectors and municipalities. "The cost of repairing damaged infrastructure is estimated at R5.1 billion and then R3.2 billion across sector departments and R1.8 billion for municipal infrastructure."
