The North West provincial government has opened the North West Disaster Relief Fund to help rebuild destroyed houses and public buildings in the province following the recent earthquake.

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter located in Orkney in the North West hit parts of South Africa on Tuesday. One man died after a wall collapsed on him and 17 miners were injured at AngloGold Ashanti’s Vaal River mines.

North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has called on South Africans and interested organisations to help out by donating to the account. Donations will help deliver aid in most affected areas.

“As government, we remain highly committed to help rebuild the destroyed houses, repair the affected public buildings, and restore calm — particularly in Khuma location and Stilfontein, where more than 600 families have been affected by this occurrence,” Mahumapelo told SAnews.go.za.

The premier is expecting a report from a team of engineers by the end of next week, which will be sent to the National Disaster Management Centre. The team has already begun assessing the structural defects of all households, and public buildings including schools, clinics and state offices.

The report will direct government to areas which need urgent attention.