Santam has received 254 claims for damage to property and other assets as a result of the severe weather in the Eastern Cape, the insurer said on Tuesday.
It expected that claims will increase in the coming days as residents start with mopping-up operations.
It was difficult to indicate the total amount of the claims because Santam was still assessing them.
Santam has activated its Catastrophe Claims Management protocols, which require the insurer to deploy personnel to the affected areas to service policyholders and expedite the filing of claims.
The 254 claims are from the Eastern Cape only but could rise as policyholders in KwaZulu-Natal start filing claims, said Rowland Ramalingam, Santam’s head of non-motor claims.
At least 10 people have been confirmed dead and several others are presumed to have drowned in floods in the Eastern Cape in recent days. More than 2 000 people’s homes were destroyed in Duncan Village, Stoney Drift, Mzamomhle, and Mdantsane.
A storm swept through Tongaat, parts of the Durban CBD, and Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, causing extensive damage to buildings, shelters, and infrastructure. The storm brought with it at least two tornadoes amid heavy rains, strong winds, and hailstorms.
