The death toll from severe flooding in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has risen to at least 86, authorities confirmed on Saturday, as rescue teams continued to search for victims and survivors in the wake of devastating storms earlier this week.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the region on Friday, described the disaster as “catastrophic” and blamed the extreme weather on climate change.
Speaking to reporters, Ramaphosa said floodwaters had surged to more than four metres high, submerging homes, schools, roads, and clinics under a thick layer of mud and debris.
The worst-hit area was the city of Mthatha, located around 800 kilometres south of Johannesburg and close to Qunu, the birthplace of the late Nelson Mandela. Officials said the area suffered a deadly combination of flooding and landslides, with many residents caught inside their homes as water levels rose during the night.
Emergency teams have been working around the clock, going door to door to search for the missing. Some residents were rescued after climbing onto their roofs, where they waited for hours to be saved. The effort has been hampered by widespread damage to infrastructure, with access routes washed away or blocked by debris.
Among the confirmed dead were six children and three adults who were travelling on a school bus when it was swept away by the floodwaters. Three students managed to survive by clinging to trees, but four others remained unaccounted for as of Saturday.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu confirmed the updated death toll, saying the situation remained dire and that more fatalities could not be ruled out.
President Ramaphosa stressed the need for long-term climate resilience, noting that while snow and rain are typical during South Africa’s winter, the scale and intensity of the current storms were unprecedented for coastal regions.
He pointed to data from the Green Climate Fund, which classifies South Africa as highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly regarding more frequent and extreme weather events.
