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ActionSA extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the nine people who tragically lost their lives following heavy rains and flash floods that swept across the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape. We are equally distressed by reports that a school transport vehicle was swept away, with several children still missing. Our prayers are with their families during this unspeakably painful time.

While this tragedy has shocked the nation, it is sadly not unexpected. Once again, the failure of the Eastern Cape government to invest in the basic infrastructure of rural towns and villages has come at the cost of human lives. Communities in areas like Lusikisiki, Port St. Johns, Ngqeleni and other parts of the OR Tambo District Municipality continue to rely on unsafe, makeshift crossings because the provincial government has neglected them for decades.

It is unacceptable that in 2025, family providers and children must risk their lives crossing rivers on foot or using dilapidated bridges and roads because the state has abdicated its duty to develop rural areas. These are not acts of God, but are in fact the result of chronic underdevelopment, budget mismanagement and a lack of political will.

Moreover, the widespread destruction of homes, roads and public infrastructure in places like Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay shows that municipalities across the province remain completely unprepared for severe weather events, despite the growing frequency of such disasters. In Gqeberha, the community of KwaNobuhle is still waiting for the repair of a major bridge damaged in previous storms. The city’s drainage systems continue to fail under even moderate rainfall, highlighting the absence of basic maintenance and forward planning.

ActionSA demands that the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, in conjunction with National Treasury and the Department of Cooperative Governance, urgently publish a disaster response and infrastructure rehabilitation plan. We further call for a full audit of bridges, roads, and drainage systems in high-risk municipalities.

We cannot continue accepting government neglect as normal. The time has come to build a state that values every life be it in a township, a rural village, or a metro.

Issued by ActionSA Eastern Cape Chairperson Nongoma Mtitshana