Cape Town: President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national emergency in South Africa following the floods. Due to the incessant rains for the last one week, various parts of the country are under water. The government had earlier declared a ‘state of disaster’ following the power crisis.
A statement from the Office of the President on Monday said Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape were the worst hit by floods caused by heavy rains. Flooding is also severe in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape and the North West.
A state of emergency was previously declared in South Africa in March 2020 to deal with Covid and in April 2017 when floods hit. New Zealand also declared a state of emergency on Tuesday to deal with flooding following Cyclone Gabriel.
