"With deep regret and consternation, we have been following the dramatic situation that befell the province of Kwazulu-Natal, caused by the intense rains and consequent floods, which have already caused about four hundred fatalities, who are still missing under the several dozen people", wrote João Lourenço in a message addressed to his counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.
João Lourenço adds that the high loss of human life, "with the suffering that is inherent to it, and the dimension of the destruction of public and private goods", constitutes a painful loss for the entire South African people and expresses to Cyril Ramaphosa "solidarity " for the difficult time, expressing condolences to all the bereaved families.
The recent floods in South Africa have killed at least 443 people, and another 63 are reported missing, local authorities said Sunday.
"The death toll has increased to 443", said the head of the government of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, in a press conference, quoted by the France-Presse (AFP) agency.
Most of the victims are from the Durban region, a port city of 3.5 million on the Indian Ocean coast, where heavy rains have caused flooding and landslides.
Rain continues to fall in some places, but less intensely compared to previous days.
"The risk of flooding is low today in KwaZulu-Natal," Puseletso Mofokeng, of the National Meteorological Institute, told AFP, adding that the precipitation will dissipate "completely between Wednesday and the end of next week".
In recent days, ministers and traditional leaders have been on the ground assessing the extent of the damage and supporting the families of victims and displaced persons.
According to AFP, there are decimated families, which have lost several members in a few seconds, and children and babies have drowned or been buried in mudslides.
This Easter Sunday prayer requests for the victims have multiplied.
"This is a tragedy of overwhelming proportions," said Thabo Makgoba, archbishop of Cape Town and successor to the charismatic Desmond Tutu (who died in December 2021), alluding to the "stress and pain" the situation represents for the community.
