President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that additional measures are urgently being put in place to provide financial support to businesses in distress, following the devastating floods in April.

Heavy flooding wreaked havoc across parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West, causing extensive loss of life and damage to property and infrastructure.

Ramaphosa explained that municipal and provincial governments had been working closely with national departments and agencies to enable people to rebuild their lives and to get local economic activity back on track.

He said that there had been considerable progress in fixing key infrastructure supporting the Port of Durban, given its importance to the national and continental economy.

Port traffic has been restored, terminal operations are back at full capacity and work to repair damaged rail infrastructure is underway.

The National Disaster Management Centre has been coordinating all spheres of government in their efforts to provide humanitarian relief to the many households that have been affected by the floods.

Ramaphosa said he was pleased to see non-governmental organisations, businesses and relief organisations joining with government to provide much-needed relief assistance.

Sheltering services are currently being provided to over 7 000 people in the four most affected districts in KwaZulu-Natal and work has started to build temporary residences for affected families on State-owned land parcels in the province for possible resettlement.

Mobile classrooms are being procured so that learning and teaching should not be interrupted for longer than necessary in flood-affected schools.

Work is underway to repair damaged wastewater treatment works, pumpstations and reticulation. Damaged roads are being repaired and eighteen new bridges are planned as part of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges programme.

The Departments of Home Affairs, Health and Social Development have been assisting affected communities to access important services.