South Africa declared a national disaster on Tuesday after days of torrential rain, flooding, high winds, and even snowfall killed at least 10 people across six provinces and devastated informal settlements particularly around Cape Town. The declaration enables the government to direct emergency funds and resources toward relief operations in the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Mpumalanga provinces, where extreme weather has battered communities since May 4.
Cape Town and its sprawling townships bore the brunt of the damage. Local officials said on Tuesday that flooding had inundated at least 26 informal settlements around the city, damaging or destroying more than 10,000 structures. The Western Cape provincial government ordered the temporary closure of schools and shut down parts of the Table Mountain tourist attraction as emergency crews worked to clear debris and assist families displaced by rising waters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of life in a statement on Monday. “We are making the best use of science to pre-empt some of these events and to respond to the aftermath,” he said, acknowledging the government’s struggle to cope with increasingly violent weather.
Climate experts have warned that severe floods across Southern Africa are intensifying, driven by extreme weather patterns. Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have all recorded unusually heavy rains in recent months, resulting in the region’s worst flooding in years. Just four months earlier, in January, South Africa declared a national disaster after torrential rains and floods in the north killed at least 30 people, damaged thousands of homes, and washed away roads and bridges, leaving communities isolated and emergency services stretched.