The Eastern Cape government must urgently account for the status of its flood damage assessments, disaster funding applications, and emergency road interventions after devastating floods caused severe damage across parts of the province.
Koukamma, Kouga, Nelson Mandela Bay, and Dr Beyers Naudé have been among the worst-affected areas. Entire communities had to be evacuated, while others were trapped for days as roads, bridges, and access routes were washed away.
The broader economic losses in the Gamtoos Valley are expected to exceed R1.4 billion, while Kouga Municipality estimates damage in its area at more than R170 million. The collapse of a section of the R62 between Kareedouw and Joubertina has cut off a critical route into the Langkloof, forcing a 600km detour and costing farmers an estimated R350 000 per day.
In Dr Beyers Naudé, Willowmore, and Baviaanskloof are among the worst-hit areas. Baviaanskloof is one of the Eastern Cape’s most important tourism destinations, but roads in the area have been completely washed away.
On 9 May 2026, the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre classified the severe weather and flooding that affected six provinces, including the Eastern Cape, as a national disaster.
That classification triggered a legal duty on the provincial government to coordinate the provincial response, verify the damage, and submit funding applications to the National Disaster Management Centre for further recommendation to National Treasury.
The initial damage verification period is now over.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane has previously admitted that the province is slow to respond to disasters. After the Nelson Mandela Bay floods, he said: “But we like to delay… We’re still waiting for that money to fix the damage from four months ago.”
In 2025, after the Mthatha floods claimed 101 lives, he said: “When things like this happen, we are always found wanting. We are paralysed.”
Those admissions should have been followed by reform. The Eastern Cape cannot afford another disaster response marked by delayed assessments, slow procurement, poor communication, and uncertainty for affected communities, farmers, businesses, and municipalities.
It was only today, when the Democratic Alliance raised the matter directly in the Legislature with Premier Mabuyane, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams and the MEC for Transport, Xolile Nqatha, that we started to get feedback on what is being done.
MEC Williams advised that assessments are still underway and that submissions must still be made. He further indicated that the delay has been discussed with the NDMC because water levels still need to recede.
MEC Nqatha must now provide an urgent timeline for emergency teams to access and repair affected roads, including those in Baviaanskloof and the collapsed section of the R62 between Kareedouw and Joubertina.
Premier Mabuyane must provide a comprehensive provincial damage assessment and a clear schedule for funding applications.
The people of this province deserve more than condolences. They deserve a government that treats disaster recovery as an urgent legal duty and as an imperative humanitarian effort.
The DA will pursue this matter through every oversight mechanism available until affected communities receive clear answers and urgent relief.