South Africa declares national disaster after deadly floods

By Mark Ogagan

South Africa has declared a national disaster after floods and storms caused widespread damage in the country, allowing the government to free up funds for relief and reconstruction.

Disruptive rains, floods, strong winds and hail from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29 affected the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, North-West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces.

Elias Sithole (Pictured), head of the National Disaster Management Centre, confirmed the above in an official notice on Wednesday. He emphasised that the floods and storms caused damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, and disrupted the provision of basic services.

The floods left at least 10 people dead and hundreds more displaced in the Eastern Cape alone.

The declaration of a national disaster assigns primary responsibility for the coordination and management of the clean-up to the national government, Sithole said.

The announcement comes almost a year after South Africa proclaimed a climate-related national disaster following floods and storms in three coastal provinces in September and October 2023.

In addition to last month’s storms, the country had unseasonal snow in September that closed a major highway for two days, and a major snowfall in November for the first time in 85 years.