Pretoria - R800 million has been set aside to assist South Africans following recent floods, President Jacob Zuma said.
The R800 million will be for the immediate relief of communities that were caught up in the floods which not only left thousands of damaged homes but also took the lives of over 50 people and led to 33 district municipalities declared as disaster areas.
President Zuma was delivering the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) under his administration on Thursday.
Last week, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said Cabinet had noted the impact of the floods and re-affirmed its commitment to providing assistance and support to the affected communities.
"We will also be earmarking funding to deal with post disaster recovery and reconstruction in the years ahead," said Zuma as he thanked relief agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sector, religious organisations and communities for assisting those in need.
