The death toll in the recent KwaZulu-Natal floods that hit Ladysmith has risen to 21 after the recovery of more bodies on Friday and today.

The KZN Provincial Emergency Services in conjunction with various government and private institutions continued the search mission following the recent Ladysmith floods where 21 bodies have been recovered. KZN SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the number of bodies has risen to 21. "The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Emergency Services, in conjunction with various government and private institutions continued the search mission following the recent Ladysmith floods and as of Friday 29 December 2023, a total of 21 bodies have been recovered. "An unconfirmed number of four victims are still outstanding and to continue with the search operations, the Mobile Command Post will move further downstream today (Saturday) to facilitate the deployment of rescuers. Police will provide further updates as and when new recoveries are made," said Netshiunda.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs confirmed that the search for the missing people continues. MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi extended her condolences to all the grieving families and said that the government is sparing no effort in discovering all those who are still missing. She also commends the unwavering commitment demonstrated by the Search and Rescue teams that have been tirelessly working on the ground since Christmas Day. "We appreciate that the discovery of more people was the result of the concerted effort made by our law enforcement agencies, which mobilised resources and personnel from different cities. This effort yielded results as search teams were divided into groups and searched the streams in Ladysmith. While this is an immense tragedy, we hope that it will bring some comfort to the families who have lost their loved ones, as they can now proceed with the necessary funeral arrangements and find closure in this tragic incident. We also urge all family members not to delay reporting their missing loved ones. This will greatly assist in the mobilisation of search teams and allow us to get support from the various organisations we collaborate with on disaster matters. "We express our gratitude to all our partners who have demonstrated a good morale and commitment," said Sithole-Moloi.