Heavy rain across southern Africa has left more than 30 people dead in Limpopo and Mpumalanga and displaced more than half a million people in Mozambique as flooding continues.  

In Limpopo, heavy rain submerged Kambaku 2 Boat Safari Lodge near Phalaborwa, forcing the owners to walk for hours through rising waters to seek help as floodwaters inundated their property. The Kruger National Park temporarily closed its gates to day visitors amid a level-10 weather warning, and several guests and staff were later airlifted to safety as rivers breached their banks. 

Mozambique under red alert 

Heavy rain has also caused catastrophic flooding in neighbouring Mozambique, where the government has issued a nationwide level red warning. 

The heavy rain is forecast to continue throughout the week. 

In a statement, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Xai-Xai, which is the provincial capital of Gaza, is one of the hardest hit areas.  

The town is situated near the Limpopo River and many residents evacuated to higher ground.  

“Authorities have also issued alerts for downtown Xai-Xai, including warnings of the risk of crocodiles appearing in flooded areas. More than half a million people have been impacted so far,” said the OCHA. 

Many roads are still inaccessible and alternatives, including the use of sea routes between the capital Maputo and the small port of Inhambane, which is closer to most impacted areas, are being explored.  

OCHA warned that the rains are likely to continue and there is a risk of further flooding. 

“It will also take time for dam levels to reduce, floodwater to recede and soil to stabilise enough to reopen roads,” said the OCHA. 

President to the rescue 

Club of Mozambique reported that during a visit to the Gaza region, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo overflew Chokwe where he spotted a dozen people, including children, stranded on top of a minibus while the flood waters swirled around them.  

He told the pilot of his helicopter to land the aircraft as close to the minibus as possible.  

The report states that he ordered the seats to be moved from the helicopter to make room for the trapped people who had been on the roof of the bus for two days. They were flown to safety at the Chiaquelane accommodation centre. 

Chapo also toured the affected areas and assessed the damage to infrastructure, monitored the drainage effort and reinforced the need for preventive evacuation of the at-risk reservoirs, particularly for Umbeluzi. 

A statement on his Facebook page said he delivered food items to the shelter centres. 

He called for the mobilisation of partners and co-operation between authorities and the population to ensure continuous humanitarian response and enable structural drainage projects, with a view to reducing the recurring impact of floods. 

Search and rescue 

The SANDF deployed search-and-rescue teams to Mozambique on Sunday to assist. 

In a statement, the SANDF said the team included an Oryx helicopter from the South African Air Force.  

The statement added that the aircraft and advance team successfully landed in Maputo and are expected to collaborate with various rescue teams and disaster management agencies in Mozambique as part of Operation Chariot. 

“More air assets are scheduled to be deployed from South Africa to assist in the rescue mission,” read the statement. 

Ekurhuleni MMC for Roads and Transport councillor Andile Mngwevu is also missing in Mozambique after the vehicle he was travelling in was swept away by severe floodwaters in Chokwe. 

Watch the video of the rescue:

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