At least 49 lives were tragically lost on Wednesday as devastating floods swept through one of South Africa’s most impoverished regions, Eastern Cape, with authorities projecting the death toll will likely increase. The deluge struck the primarily rural province lying in the country’s southeast on Tuesday morning, triggered by an intense weather system that brought torrential rains, powerful winds, and even snow to various areas.
“This is a disaster of monumental proportions,” stated Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane during a press briefing. He described the disaster as one of the worst his province has ever had to endure. Among the deceased were six high school students who were swept away when the floodwaters overwhelmed their school bus near Mthatha, one of the hardest-hit localities. Mabuyane also reported that four other students remain missing.
Officials discovered the school bus on Wednesday, though it was unoccupied. Fortunately, on Tuesday, rescuers saved three students found clutching tree branches and pleading for help. The driver and another adult accompanying them were confirmed among the victims.
Rescue efforts are set to continue into their third day on Thursday, though officials have yet to detail the total number of missing persons. They are working closely with families to identify those still unaccounted for.
Disaster response units have been mobilized in both Eastern Cape and the adjacent KwaZulu-Natal province, following the onslaught of heavy rains and snowfall that hit regions across southern and eastern South Africa over the weekend. Reports of mudslides have also emerged, compounding the disaster’s severity.
President Cyril Ramaphosa affirmed that the National Disaster Management Center is collaborating with local authorities in Eastern Cape, which bore the brunt of the severe weather front warned by forecasters. Unprecedented snowfalls blanketed parts of Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the interior Free State province.
Expressing condolences to the mourning families, Ramaphosa described the situation in Eastern Cape as one of profound devastation. The storm also caused widespread power outages, impacting hundreds of thousands of homes in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial government officials from Eastern Cape reported that countless families were rendered homeless, with shelters housing those whose homes were either submerged or demolished by the surging waters. At least 58 schools and 20 hospitals suffered damage, concentrated mostly around Mthatha and its district.
Waterlogged debris, including vehicles dislodged by the torrent, dotted the landscape as rains ceased and floodwaters receded. South Africa is frequently impacted by dynamic weather systems from the Indian and Southern Oceans. Previously, in 2022, over 400 fatalities were recorded during flooding induced by sustained rainfall around Durban and its neighboring regions.
Impoverished areas with informal settlements often bear the brunt of these natural disasters, where most casualties typically occur.