Ladysmith - KwaZulu-Natal municipalities have been urged by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to compile reports on the extent of damage caused by the recent floods to speed up the process of reconstruction.
The province is the worst hit, with more that 20 people having lost their lives while others were left homeless and others with major injuries.
Worst affected areas in the province are Mnambithi and Newcastle, with more than 584 houses completely destroyed and 3 051 people displaced.
Those affected are currently receiving assistance from the provincial Department of Social Development, local municipalities and business people.
NDCM teams are visiting provinces affected by floods to reassess damages. Today, the team visited Thembalihle and Driefontein in the Ladysmith area.
Throughout the country, the floods caused damages estimated at millions of rands.
As part of reconstruction, about 1 500 houses will be built for the community of Thembalihle. Most of the houses washed away were mainly built out of mud.
Ladysmith Mayor Dudu Mazibuko said they were looking at ways of assisting the affected families.
"We are currently working on a plan to assist all the affected families to get proper houses. We were touched by what had happened and we are constantly monitoring the situation."
Mazibuko told BuaNews that the process of rebuilding all the structures destroyed by the floods will start as soon as the assessment is completed. She said they were working in conjunction with the provincial government.
A resident from Thembalihle, Ntombikaise Nkabinde (44), a mother of three, lost everything when her house was washed away.
"It happened unexpectedly. We could not save anything from the house," she said. "I thank God that we still alive. I'm grateful to government for providing us with blankets, food and other necessities," she said.
Nkabinde is one those who have been promised a new house.
According to the municipality, the community will be relocated to a safer area which has already been identified.
Sizakele Makhubo (61), also a resident at Thembalihle told BuaNews that she would not forget that fateful night when she lost everything in her house.
"I thank God that I'm still alive," she said, with eyes full of tears.
The commitment for the building of the houses was made by Human Settlement Minister Tokyo Sexwale after visiting the area a fortnight ago.
According to the Ladysmith Municipality, damage caused to infrastructure, including roads and bridges, is estimated at R16 million.
Apart from the houses, the minister also committed R100 million to assist all the victims of floods.
Nationally, more than R200 million was raised by the business sector and private companies, this includes the National Lottery Board.
Due to the extent of damage caused by the floods in the province, Cabinet recently declared the province a disaster area.
