Central SA
Gift of the Givers provides assistance to Northern Cape flood victims─── HEIDRÈ MALGAS 12:42 Wed, 05 Jul 2023
The communities in Namaqualand, Northern Cape, have experienced a long-lasting drought that has led to the death of numerous animals, causing significant job losses for farmers and devastating local economies.
The Gift of the Givers Chairman and founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, says heavy rainfall caused flooding in the Buffelsrivier area, destroying roads, bridges, and essential infrastructure. This has isolated communities in Kamiesberg, Namakhoi, Richtersveld, Kommagas, Kleinsee, Buffelsrivier, Rooiwal, and Vioolsdrift. More than 10 000 people have been affected, and five people have lost their lives in the floods.
OFM News previously reported that three bodies of individuals who went missing following heavy rain in the Nama Khoi Local Municipality's district in the Northern Cape have been recovered.
ALSO READ: Three bodies discovered after flooding in Northern Cape
The Karoo Hoogland Municipality has also reached out for assistance for communities in Calvinia, Nieuwoudtville, Middlepos, and Sutherland.
According to a statement by the Gift of the Givers they have been in constant communication with the local authorities and disaster management teams in these regions.
Sooliman says the municipalities have requested humanitarian aid, as well as helicopters from the Northern Cape Government and the SANDF to deliver much-needed assistance to areas that are currently inaccessible.
OFM News also reported that a search and rescue team from the police retrieved the fourth body from the water on Sunday in the Buffelsrivier area, following floods in Namaqualand.
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“Our vehicles, with blankets, new clothing, food, Genesis (a nutritionally enriched porridge), Eezy peanut paste, hygiene packs, and bottled water, are en route from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Springbok, which will serve as our operational centre.”
He said that this year has been incredibly demanding, with multiple incidents including fires in Cape Town, floods in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, Komani, Gqeberha, and Port St John's, a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal and Vredefort, an E. coli contamination in Makhanda, and ongoing water shortages in Adelaide, Bedford, Fort Beaufort, and Alice. Additionally, there were floods in the Western Cape and a mini tornado in KwaZulu-Natal.
Gift of the Givers has responded to each of these events, resulting in a significant depletion of our resources. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to corporate organisations and individual donors for their continuous generosity.
