The KwaZulu-Natal department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) assured the public that the province would be able to conduct national elections despite recent devastating floods.

Severe flooding damaged access roads to some voting stations, claimed 71 lives across the province and left scores of people without their identification documents.

Nomusa Dube-Ncube, member of the executive council for Cogta said the department continues to coordinate and oversee relief efforts and she was confident it would attend to everything before the elections.

“We assure voters that they can come to voting stations and be guaranteed that they will be safe and that all infrastructure will be operational, even if it means making temporary arrangements,” Dube-Ncube said.

“We are aware of the concerns in the eThekwini municipality and elsewhere but we are resolving all challenges and come election time, it will be all systems go.”

Dube-Ncube further said her department was working with affected municipalities and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to address the damage and the issue of lost identity documents.

The municipalities are also rehabilitating damaged access roads, either on their own or with assistance from the department of transport.

“The department of home affairs is assisting with the issuing of temporary IDs to all affected individuals,” Dube-Ncube said.