The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has announced that a total of 95 bodies have been recovered across various districts, following the recent floods, including the bodies of two teenage males discovered yesterday afternoon.

This as the search and recovery efforts continue.

“Out of the recovered bodies, 86 have been identified and have been collected by their families and processes are underway for the identification of the remaining bodies,” the provincial government said in a statement on Monday.

The provincial government said it was coordinating the provision of burial support for the victims of the disaster. This includes the storage of the bodies, burial services and transportation of the remains to the area identified by the families for burial. 

“The provision of this support has been made possible through support from AVBOB and government is also engaging with other funeral parlours with a view to mobilise support in line with the needs of the family.

“Government has provided support to 26 deceased persons that were buried from Thursday to this weekend,” the provincial government said. 

In addition to the burial services, government has provided the following support to the bereaved families:

• The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has extended the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, and this includes the provision of financial support towards funeral preparations.

• Grocery hampers donated by Interlink Express.

• The Department of Education has provided financial support of R5000 per deceased learners.

• Various local municipalities are assisting with grave preparation where required.

• Home Affairs emergency and mobile services for bereaved and displaced families.

• The Department of Home Affairs has deployed three mobile offices each in Butterworth and Mthatha. 

“Through this intervention, 311 in Mthatha and 145 in Butterworth affected individuals are being assisted to replace their birth certificates and IDs that were lost as a result of the disaster. All six mobile offices will remain on site this week to continue to provide support to the survivors as they rebuild their lives,” the statement said.

The integrated search and recovery teams have been assisted by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who continue to work tirelessly to locate and recover any remaining bodies.

From Monday, the search and recovery teams will be joined by a team from the North West Provincial Government, increasing the number of teams to four.

The provincial government has welcomed the support of government institutions and non-governmental organisations who have been part of rescue and recovery efforts, including the provision of humanitarian support.

Eastern Cape Acting Premier, Mlungisi Mvoko, has acknowledged the role played by ordinary citizens in continuously cooperating with authorities and providing the necessary assistance during this challenging time.

“The provincial government is committed to speeding up efforts of ensuring that affected communities are supported to rebuild their lives,” the provincial government said. –