Pretoria - About 100 families from Emfuleni Local Municipality, south of Johannesburg, are being moved to a safer location after floods struck the area.
Municipal spokesperson Paseka Rakosa said on Thursday families were being moved from zone 17 to zone 20, where they are being provided with temporary shelter, while others are busy rebuilding their shacks.
"We have provided the affected families with food, blankets, water and other necessities. We are still continuing to provide assistance to those affected," said Rakosa, adding that the help was much appreciated by those in need.
The Vaal area is one of the 33 municipalities declared disaster areas by the Inter Ministerial Committee appointed by government to, among others, assess damage caused by the floods.
This week, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini announced that more than R168 million has been raised to provide assistance to those affected by the floods.
Government has prioritised humanitarian relief, the repair and upgrading of public infrastructure, agricultural relief in the form of equipment, livestock and crops and repairs to damaged houses.
According to the municipality, the water level at the Vaal Dam is gradually stabilising. However, emergency services will remain on high alert to provide the necessary services should the need arise.
The Vaal Dam is now 103 percent full, which is six percent less than the weekend level. This is attributed to the water inflow which has been on the decrease since last Friday.
Most of the roads in the area have been reopened. The portion of Golf Road, that includes the bridge that goes over Klip River, is still closed.
