EFF Calls for a Declaration of a National Disaster in Response to the Eastern Cape Floods

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) mourns with the people of the Eastern Cape, where devastating floods have claimed the lives of at least 57 people, displaced thousands, and left areas such as Mthata, and the Amathole District without water, shelter, or functioning infrastructure. Entire communities have been submerged, destroying homes, roads, schools, and clinics.

Critical infrastructure has been washed away, and a minibus carrying 13 schoolchildren was swept away on the R61 bridge, with many of the learners dead or  still missing. Families have been forced into makeshift shelters with NGOs scrambling to fill the gap, as the Gift of the Givers is currently supporting over 2,500 displaced people, providing hot meals, hygiene packs, water, blankets, and emergency medical supplies.

Despite these dire circumstances, the response from the Eastern Cape provincial government has been shamefully inadequate, with no disaster management preparedness to speak off. As a result, the EFF calls for an immediate declaration of a National State of Disaster and demands that the response to this crisis be led entirely by national government structures, not by the Eastern Cape provincial government. The scale and urgency of this disaster far exceed what this provincial administration can handle, particularly one so deeply compromised by corruption, incompetence, and a proven history of looting public resources meant to uplift the people.

The Eastern Cape provincial government, under the leadership of Premier Oscar Mabuyane, has lost all moral and administrative legitimacy. This is the same administration that looted funds meant for the funeral of President Nelson Mandela, allowed widespread fraud in procurement, and became embroiled in the scandal of fraudulent postgraduate qualifications involving Premier Mabuyane himself. The people of the Eastern Cape cannot entrust their survival to such a government, especially not in a time of disaster

This crisis once again lays bare the absence of any meaningful disaster preparedness in our country, which became very evident in the KwaZulu-Natal floods of 2022. The EFF has long warned of the state’s failure to establish a competent, capacitated, and well-resourced disaster management framework from municipal to national level. We have consistently spoken out about the need for early warning systems, climate resilience planning, infrastructure assessments, and rapid-response capabilities. But as usual, our cries fell on deaf ears.

Now, as communities drown and children go missing, it is the NGOs and community organisations, meant only to support state efforts, that are being forced to step in as the primary responders. The EFF therefore reiterates that a National Disaster must be declared, and national structures must be tasked to oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid, infrastructure repair, and relocation planning. This is in order to begin the path to recovery for those affected, as well as prevent the loss of more lives during this time.

The EFF has consistently called for proportional representation in electoral systems.

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