South Africa declared a national disaster on Sunday over torrential rains and floods that have killed at least 30 people in the country’s north, the government said.
The declaration was made by the head of the National Disaster Management Center and announced by the government, which said the move allows the national government to coordinate the response to the disaster.
Officials said the worst impact was in the northern provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where the fatalities occurred. The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said at least three other provinces had also been affected by the severe weather.
Parts of South Africa and neighboring Mozambique and Zimbabwe have experienced heavy rains for weeks, resulting in severe flooding in central and southern Mozambique and northern South Africa. The report said more than 100 people have died in the three countries since the rains began late last year.
In South Africa, flooding in the north led to the closure of Kruger National Park, with hundreds of tourists and staff evacuated from flooded camps to other parts of the park. The report said the park, which covers about 2,000 hectares (7.7 square miles) and borders Mozambique and Zimbabwe, suffered extensive damages in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.
Rescue teams continued searching for four people, including 5-year-old Siyanda Baloyi, believed to have been swept away when his home in Limpopo province flooded last Thursday. Authorities also said Sunday that a government official in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg, was missing after a vehicle he was traveling in was swept away by floods in Mozambique, along with Andile Mngwevu and other occupants who were in the vehicle.
The premier of Limpopo province said the weather caused around $240 million in damage in her province, with many houses and buildings washed away completely. The report also noted that more than 100 people died in floods last year in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province and that more than 400 died in flooding in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022.
Kruger National Park was set to reopen for visitors after a suspension forced by heavy flooding, which led to the evacuation of over 300 tourists and staff. The report said heavy downpours in the region killed more than 20 people.