Rebuilding after the storm: Over 230 schools affected by Eastern Cape floods
71 schools require major reconstruction as education department adjusts earlier estimates.
Story By : Lubabalo Ngcukana
EASTERN CAPE – The Eastern Cape Department of Education has confirmed that 235 schools were impacted by the recent floods, a revision from earlier estimates of over 400. Of these, 71 schools will need full-scale reconstruction, according to MEC Fundile Gade.
Gade noted that some of the initially reported schools were already marked for closure under the province’s school rationalization plan. However, the scale of the damage remains severe and will stretch the education budget.
“That is going to be a thorn in the flesh of the government’s budget,” he said during a media briefing alongside MECs from Health and CoGTA.
Despite the destruction, no healthcare facilities were fully shut down. MEC for Health, Ntandokazi Capa, confirmed that emergency services remain active on the ground, including teams from the police, military, and health departments.
Healthcare support has been extended to temporary shelters where displaced families are being housed. Capa encouraged community members to continue reporting missing loved ones, adding that the search and rescue operations remain ongoing.
Meanwhile, CoGTA has begun the process of identifying safe land for relocation of displaced families in both the Mnquma and King Sabata Dalindyebo municipalities.
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