At least 90 people, including 30 children, have been confirmed dead on Monday, June 16, following last week’s devastating floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.
The catastrophe, which President Cyril Ramaphosa described as a “climate-induced disaster,” left thousands homeless and entire communities submerged under water levels reaching over four metres. Among the victims were six schoolchildren whose bus was swept away by the deluge; only three survived by clinging to trees. Mthatha and surrounding areas, including Nelson Mandela’s birthplace Qunu, were among the hardest hit by the severe weather, which triggered widespread landslides and infrastructure collapse.
Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams continue to search for missing persons, while local authorities report over 2,600 people have been displaced and are currently housed in temporary shelters. The Eastern Cape provincial government confirmed that homes, roads, schools, and health facilities were damaged or destroyed, with residents recounting how floodwaters engulfed their homes during the night, trapping many inside. Experts have linked the disaster to the increasing unpredictability and intensity of climate events, with the Green Climate Fund reiterating South Africa’s heightened vulnerability to climate variability.