The Eastern Cape government was still assessing flood damage in the province, two MECs said on Tuesday.  “At this stage, we are still finalising the assessment of the damage in order for us to indicate how much it will cost government to attend to these disaster incidents,” local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane and transport MEC Thandiswa Marawu said in a joint statement.

Engineers, the army, municipal officials, and disaster management teams were fixing roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by heavy rains.

Construction of a temporary bypass on the N2, between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, was expected to start on Friday, after a 30m section of the road collapsed.

A report on the damage would be sent to the national departments of co-operative governance and traditional affairs and the Treasury, prior to it being sent to President Jacob Zuma's office.

“We will send an SOS appeal to President Zuma to declare a special disaster fund to attend to these incidents in our province,” they said.

The MECs appealed to motorists to be patient and cautious while the roads were being repaired. - Sapa