Mpumalanga needs R425m to fix damage caused by heavy rains

The Mpumalanga government needs at least R425m to repair damage caused by heavy rains that ravaged parts of the province in the past few weeks.

This was revealed by premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane on Monday after visiting some of the affected areas to assess damage to roads, bridges and houses.

“Some of the damage requires refurbishment and some [structures] need to be rebuilt because people need to live their normal lives, which includes people going to work and children going to school.

“For now we have eight confirmed fatalities as a result of the rains, [and] four people have gone missing as some were washed away from their houses and some were washed away while trying to cross rivers.

“We have since estimated the damage to cost R425m. We are still waiting for the national government to also do their assessment. The province will try by all means to intervene where possible,” said Mtsweni-Tsipane.

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