Ten thousand troops have been deployed to South Africa’s south-east coast to help recover bodies, deliver relief and keep order after the country’s worst natural disaster killed 443 people and left scores more unaccounted for.
President Ramaphosa last night declared a national state of disaster over the deadly floods and mudslides in KwaZulu-Natal province which have made at least 40,000 people homeless and knocked out power and water supplies. The region, which includes the port city of Durban and is the country’s second most populous province, is still reeling from the deadly unrest in July when 350 people were killed in days of violence.