President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured families in Durban that financial resources are available to assist those who were affected by heavy storms.

The president visited Amanzimtoti, on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Wednesday, where he was shown the extent of the damage that the heavy rains caused on Monday night.

He cut short his bilateral visit to Egypt as well as the African Union Troika Summit after receiving the tragic news that at least 51 lives were claimed as a result of the heavy floods.

"As government at national level, I immediately contacted our Treasury and said, 'do we have money to assist our people?' And they said, 'president, we have the money'. So money is going to be mobilised to assist our people [because] these are emergency situations that we budget for, so resources will be mobilised in the biggest way so that our people who are currently in need are assisted," Ramaphosa pledged.

The president said local government was already working closely with non-profit organisations to provide essentials for those who have been left with no shelter, clothing and food, with more than 1,000 displaced.

Several people are still unaccounted for, while some schools, businesses, train services and universities remain closed due to the destruction.

Ramaphosa also commended emergency services and disaster centres throughout the province who have also risked their lives to save those trapped under the rubble.

The president will be heading to the Eastern Cape to also assess the level of damage in the province that has also been storm-ravaged.