National disaster declarations have been issued for the Western Cape and Eastern Cape after flooding that hit the provinces in September caused significant damage.

In a notice published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday, head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) Elias Sithole said the NDMC had assessed the "magnitude and severity of the impact of severe weather" that caused the flooding, along with storm surges and gale force winds.

"Following the assessment, the NDMC had taken the decision to declare a national disaster," Sithole said.

The classification will allow both provincial governments to apply for relief funds to repair damaged infrastructure, such as roads and water networks.

Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said: "We are pleased with this declaration, as it now enables all three spheres of government to work together to fund and repair the damage left in the wake of the unprecedented rains experienced over the Heritage Day long weekend in September."

Bredell added that the damage assessments for the September floods were calculated at R441-million for provincial infrastructure and a R154-million for municipal damages.

"We will now request the NDMC to approach the National Treasury with these numbers. There is no certainty on how much or when we will receive any support from the national government. The provincial government will reprioritise existing budgets and continue with our own recovery efforts as best we can," he said.

The MEC added that of the 150 affected roads in the province, only 22 roads remain closed.

News24 previously reported that the Western Cape received a disaster declaration, following severe flooding in May and June.

The provincial government estimates that the May/June floods caused unfunded damages to the tune of more than R700-million.

Last year, the National Treasury awarded the Western Cape almost R290-million to fund damage caused by heavy rains and floods in 2021.