President Nelson Mandela declared parts of the Western Cape province a disaster area on Wednesday after touring the city's shantytowns, wading through a reeking sludge of mud and sewage to visit families living in collapsing shacks of cardboard and old plastic sacks. "There is no reason whatsoever to expose our people to this," he said.
Army spokeswoman Hanlie van der Merwe said two training units were on standby to respond to decisions made at the provincial government headquarters in Cape Town.
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