Mufamadi to visit areas hit tidal waves

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Mufamadi to visit areas hit by high tidal waves along
the coastline of KwaZulu-Natal

26 March 2007

The Minister for Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi, responsible
for disaster management, will tomorrow Tuesday, 27 March 2007, visit the
south-east of Kwazulu-Natal after high tidal waves left considerable structural
damage along the beachfront, forcing more than twenty people to be evacuated.

The tidal waves which hit the south-east of Kwazulu-Natal on the 17 and 18
March, 2007 reached up to 10 metres high in some areas, leaving some 16 people
with minor injuries evacuated from the Marine Parade and Blue Lagoon. A further
seven people were evacuated from Isipingo Island Hotel in the Ethekwini Metro.

Other worst hit areas include Ugu, and Illembe District Municipalities where
sewage pipes were washed away. In Ugu there is significant damage to the
beachfront area of Margate and Port Edwards. Ballito and Umdloti beachfronts in
Illembe district are also affected.

"We are doing all we can to lessen the impact of this disaster on our people.
Air support was provided to assist with immediate evacuation. We will now
undertake an assessment on the extent of damage to the infrastructure and
further assistance will be given from the national government to reconstruct and
rehabilitate the affected areas," Mufamadi said.

The relevant local and district municipalities are giving consideration to
declaring the affected areas individually as Local Disaster in terms of the
Disaster Management Act of 2002. This allows for the municipalities to take
extraordinary measures like road closure to limit the inconvenience of the high
tidal waves to the people as well as to allocate a certain percentage of the
total municipal budget for dealing with the disaster.

For more information please contact:

Zandile Ratshitanga
Spokesperson
Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
Tel: (012) 334 0993
Cell: 082 460 2041
E-mail: zandi.ratshitanga@dplg.gov.za

Issued by: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
26 March 2007