Eastern Cape flood victims reportedly occupied land illegally
As images of the devastation spread, many have questioned whether some of the flooded homes were built over flood lines.
A shack surrounded by water after heavy rains fell in Motherwell on 10 June 2025 in Gqeberha, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Lulama Zenzile
As the death toll in the Eastern Cape rises to at least 88 people, officials have reportedly confirmed that some of the areas hardest hit by flooding this week were occupied illegally.
Rescuers claim that around 10 000 people have been displaced, and 3 000 homes damaged or destroyed. At least 1 500 have been relocated to temporary shelters in community halls and other structures. Thursday has been declared an official day of mourning.
As images of the devastation spread, many questioned whether some of the flooded homes were built over flood lines.
According to SABC News, unnamed Mthatha leaders confirmed that flood-hit areas were not occupied legally.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane last week urged those who had built on flood lines to move elsewhere and not return to their homes.
Eastern Cape floods from 'open sluice gate'?
Meanwhile, the Premier's office has rubbished claims that flooding in that area was caused by an open sluice gate at a nearby dam.
A social media user who spread the allegation called for a 'class action [lawsuit] to hold the government to account'.
'Mthatha Dam has no sluice gate to open. Instead, it relies on its uncontrollable spillways to release water once it reaches a certain capacity. This design lets nature take its course safely and efficiently,' said the government, in response.
ALSO READ: Eastern Cape floods: Police vow to 'wake morals' of looters
Ramaphosa blames climate change
President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed climate change during a visit to the affected areas on Friday.
'This is a catastrophic disaster for us, which is caused by climate change because we are not used to floods during winter,' Ramaphosa told the Mthatha community.
'During winter, we expect the cold here in the Eastern Cape, but now we are confronting floods. This goes to show the severity of the issue of climate change.'
NOW READ: Disaster and death in the Eastern Cape: A timeline
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Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Time running out for climate-proofing the basic education sector
During the past week, extreme weather events wreaked havoc across South Africa, particularly in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Heavy rainfall, strong winds and landslides caused a tragic loss of lives and widespread destruction to infrastructure. Among the most heartbreaking losses are the lives of schoolchildren. Schools that are meant to prepare learners for a brighter future have also been destroyed. These devastating events have again highlighted the urgency with which we must climate-proof South Africa's education system. Following his visit to the Eastern Cape, days after the disaster, President Cyril Ramaphosa attributed the inclement weather to global warming: 'This is a catastrophic disaster for us, which is caused by climate change,' he said. International climate change expert bodies have already sounded the alarm bells on the impacts of climate change on South Africa. In its last report, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected, with high confidence, that extreme rainfall and flooding would become more frequent and intense in southern Africa. It is therefore imperative that our systems are urgently adapted to this new and perilous reality. Eastern Cape provincial government officials confirmed the deaths of four learners whose scholar transport minibus was swept away by floodwaters, with four of their schoolmates still missing. In KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial government also reported that four learners were injured and rushed to hospitals after the roof of their classroom was torn off by gale-force winds. Reports from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga reported a combined number of 168 schools that had been damaged, disrupting the education of thousands of learners. What makes this disaster even more disruptive for learners is the fact that it coincides with mid-year examinations. This is not an isolated event. Three years ago, in April 2022, floods in KwaZulu-Natal damaged 356 schools, with repair costs estimated at more than R235-million. The cumulative impact of climate change and extreme-weather events on basic education is severe and growing. Climate change demands a whole-of-government response to protect learners and the education system. A comprehensive plan to manage and adapt to climate change impacts on the education sector is long overdue. The Climate Change Act, assented to by President Ramaphosa in July 2024, provides the legal framework for such a plan. However, it is yet to be fully operationalised. Among its comprehensive climate change governance provisions, the Act requires several sectors, including the education sector, to develop a 'sector adaptation strategy and plan'. This includes an assessment of the risks and vulnerabilities of the education sector due to climate change and the formulation and implementation of adaptation measures to mitigate against the identified risks and vulnerabilities. These measures should include the development and institutionalisation of early-warning systems and standard protocols for school closures to avoid the death or injury of learners travelling to and from school or while on school premises. The infrastructure of schools located in areas prone to gale-force winds and flooding could be made climate-resilient through the use of materials and building designs tailored for climate and disaster resilience. Another measure that could possibly form part of the strategy and plan could be emergency response training for school staff and scholar transport operators. In addition to domestic legal obligations, South Africa is also guided by its obligations under international human rights law. General Comment No. 26 (GC26) from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child offers critical guidance to states such as South Africa on what their obligations are in relation to protecting children's rights and the environment in the face of climate change. South Africa would do well to heed the guidance provided by GC26 in the development of its basic education adaptation strategy and plan. GC26 stresses the importance of ensuring that school infrastructure is appropriately renovated and climate-resilient. This should be addressed through the Department of Basic Education's (DBE) Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure, which set out the minimum requirements for all public school infrastructure. However, they disappointingly fail to take cognisance of the impact of climate change-induced extreme weather events. GC26 further calls for educational continuity during and after extreme weather events. Where access to school premises is curtailed, GC26 calls for educational continuity through alternative methods such as the provision of mobile educational facilities and remote learning. This provision is particularly important because, as the Covid-19 pandemic revealed, the education system is weak at facilitating remote learning, affecting learners from poorer communities who suffer from learning losses the most. Last, GC26 stresses that long-term school disruptions such as the use of school facilities for emergency housing should be avoided where possible. While the Climate Change Act was passed into law almost a year ago, the President has been tardy in bringing into operation the provisions of the Act requiring the Department of Basic Education to formulate a sectoral adaptation strategy and plan. On 17 March 2025, the President proclaimed the commencement of the operation of a portion of the Act, with some key provisions excluded. The provisions not yet in operation include those relating to the Presidential Climate Commission, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and importantly, the climate adaptation planning obligations of local, provincial and national governments, including the education sector. The President's delay in bringing the sections related to adaptation planning into operation is unfortunate as it leaves the education sector vulnerable and unprepared, as we have just experienced, with tragic consequences. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment says the reason these provisions are not yet in operation is that the department is in the process of developing regulations for their implementation. However, as we have seen, we do not have the luxury of time. The South African Constitution safeguards several rights which are directly affected by climate change and its impacts. These include the immediately realisable right to a basic education, the right to a healthy environment which is protected for the benefit of both current and future generations, and the best interests of the child principle, which requires that children's best interests are treated as paramount. These rights, with South Africa's international law obligations, require that the President acts with the necessary urgency to ensure climate adaptation in the education sector. While the heavy rains and flooding may have subsided for now, there is scientific consensus that these extreme weather patterns are here to stay and will return – and with greater severity. South Africa simply cannot afford further delays. Climate-proofing the education system must be a national priority. The President and all of government must act with urgency to ensure that schools and learners are better prepared for the storms that lie ahead. DM
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Eastern Cape flood victims reportedly occupied land illegally
As images of the devastation spread, many have questioned whether some of the flooded homes were built over flood lines. A shack surrounded by water after heavy rains fell in Motherwell on 10 June 2025 in Gqeberha, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Lulama Zenzile As the death toll in the Eastern Cape rises to at least 88 people, officials have reportedly confirmed that some of the areas hardest hit by flooding this week were occupied illegally. Rescuers claim that around 10 000 people have been displaced, and 3 000 homes damaged or destroyed. At least 1 500 have been relocated to temporary shelters in community halls and other structures. Thursday has been declared an official day of mourning. As images of the devastation spread, many questioned whether some of the flooded homes were built over flood lines. According to SABC News, unnamed Mthatha leaders confirmed that flood-hit areas were not occupied legally. Premier Oscar Mabuyane last week urged those who had built on flood lines to move elsewhere and not return to their homes. Eastern Cape floods from 'open sluice gate'? Meanwhile, the Premier's office has rubbished claims that flooding in that area was caused by an open sluice gate at a nearby dam. A social media user who spread the allegation called for a 'class action [lawsuit] to hold the government to account'. 'Mthatha Dam has no sluice gate to open. Instead, it relies on its uncontrollable spillways to release water once it reaches a certain capacity. This design lets nature take its course safely and efficiently,' said the government, in response. ALSO READ: Eastern Cape floods: Police vow to 'wake morals' of looters Ramaphosa blames climate change President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed climate change during a visit to the affected areas on Friday. 'This is a catastrophic disaster for us, which is caused by climate change because we are not used to floods during winter,' Ramaphosa told the Mthatha community. 'During winter, we expect the cold here in the Eastern Cape, but now we are confronting floods. This goes to show the severity of the issue of climate change.' NOW READ: Disaster and death in the Eastern Cape: A timeline
The South African
13-06-2025
- The South African
Cyril Ramaphosa blames climate change for 'catastrophic' Eastern Cape floods
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with survivors of devastating floods that killed at least 78 people in the Eastern Cape, blaming the 'catastrophic disaster' on climate change. Ramaphosa toured the disaster zone and met with survivors in the region, where thousands of houses, roads, schools and health facilities were left caked in mud after being completely submerged in floodwaters, leaving many people with nothing in one of the poorest parts of the country. Rescuers were going door to door searching for bodies or possible survivors, as people got stuck inside their homes when the water rushed in during the night. Some managed to escape to their roofs, where they waited long hours for help. Ramaphosa visited the site where a school bus was swept away, killing at least six children and three adults. Four of the children were still missing. He also spoke with a woman who lost her mother and at least two of her young nephews. The woman was sobbing as the president listened to her story. 'This is a catastrophic disaster which is caused by climate change,' said Ramaphosa, who estimated the flood waters had reached more than four metres (13 feet) high. 'During winter, we expect cold as well as snow here in the Eastern Cape. Now that we are confronting floods, this goes to show the severity of the issue of climate change.' Snow and heavy rainfall are common during winter in South Africa, but coastal parts of the country were hit by 'unprecedented' weather conditions, Ramaphosa said. According to the Green Climate Fund, the country is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate variability and change, which increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather. The death toll from the floods, which officials said stood at 78 on Thursday, could still rise. Earlier on Friday, bodies were still being retrieved from a nearby river. The area worst hit by the floods and subsequent landslides was the city of Mthatha. The city is near the village of Qunu, birthplace of Nelson Mandela, the late anti-apartheid hero and former president. The South African Red Cross Society, which sent aid to the Mthatha area, told AFP at least 3 500 households had been affected, with many people sheltering in community halls. AFP journalists saw a rescue team pull four bodies, some of them children, from a one-roomed house in the late afternoon. The surrounding area was strewn with debris and locals sobbed as they watched the recovery. 'When we came out of the house, the water was above the knee, all the furniture inside was floating,' Sopiseka, a survivor, told AFP. Ali Sablay, a spokesperson for disaster response charity the Gift of the Givers Foundation, said the number of people requiring assistance could increase 'dramatically'. 'The homes are fragile, they can collapse anytime. Food is contaminated, so people need to be evacuated,' said Sablay. At least 20 health facilities and 58 schools were damaged in the Eastern Cape, according to local authorities. Post your condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones, by … Leaving a comment below, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
