Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool will ask President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday for the rain-ravaged Eden district to be declared a disaster area, Rasool’s office said.
”The premier will today [Thursday] speak to the president and ask for him to declare it a disaster area. This will immediately free extra funding to do repairs,” said Rasool’s spokesperson, Shado Twala.
Damaged to infrastructure and roads in the district, which includes Knysna and George, is now estimated to be R500-million after a deluge of rain, up to 422mm in some places, was recorded.
Only one lane of the Kaaimans Pass, a vital economic artery in the area, is open to traffic after heavy rains and mudslides caused the road to crack and threatened to completely wash away a section of the road.
Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance welcomed the decision to initiate a process to declare the area a disaster.
The DA’s Alan Winde said tourism and related business in the region is its ”life blood”, with the harvest season around the corner.
”We need to access funding outside of regional and provincial budgets to allow for immediate repairs to the infrastructure damage.
”This in turn will allow the economy to get back on track in the shortest possible time,” said Winde in a statement. — Sapa