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Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Maverick
Deadly Mthatha flood underscores worsening factors increasing risks for SA
As South Africa reels from another deadly flood, this time in the Eastern Cape, we take a look at the bigger picture of the nation's vulnerability. Floods are the country's most common weather disaster, with intense cut-off low weather systems, probably amplified by climate change, repeatedly causing devastation. After the devastating and deadly flooding that hit Mthatha and other parts of the Eastern Cape last week, people are still searching for missing loved ones, particularly children, and trying to salvage their belongings and homes. Mussa AjiDa said that they were still searching for his child, Simbongile, who went missing after the school transport Simbongile was travelling in was swept up in the Mthatha flooding on Tuesday, 10 June 2025. AjiDa was forlorn and exhausted when he spoke to Daily Maverick. Simbongile had still not been found, more than a week after 13 learners were swept away in the devastating scholar transport disaster. AjiDa said the search would continue until Simbongile had been found. This is just one among several cases playing out as South Africa responds to this most recent flooding incident, driven by heavy rainfall in a cut-off low weather system. Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane confirmed on SAfm on Wednesday, 18 June that on top of the 90 lives lost – including learners from the tragic scholar transport incident – almost 1,600 structures and 5,000 people had been affected by the recent Eastern Cape floods. The immediate priority, she said, was to provide alternative accommodation to allow people to rebuild. But a significant challenge is the availability of suitable land, as many of the destroyed homes were built in unsafe areas too close to the Mthatha River, where rebuilding is not an option. President Cyril Ramaphosa promised last week that the government would assist those affected and provide shelter after entire homes were submerged and washed away. Year after year, parts of South Africa undergo significant flooding, wreaking havoc on housing, infrastructure, the environment and lives as the nation and communities attempt to build more resilient and responsive systems. Increasing trend of weather extremes Dr Stefaan Conradie, a climate science lecturer at the UCT Climate System Analysis Group, told Daily Maverick that recent flooding attribution studies suggest that rainfall from the cut-off low weather system along the east coast was probably becoming more intense due to climate change. In other words, climate change is likely exacerbating rainfall and causing devastating flooding in eastern South Africa. This was evidenced by the World Weather Attribution study on the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods. South African Weather Service (Saws) meteorologist and weather forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela told Daily Maverick that there was an increasing trend of weather extremes over the central and eastern parts of the country, especially with many adverse weather conditions linked to heavy rainfall affecting KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In this case, an intense cut-off low weather system developed in the upper atmosphere on Sunday, 8 June, as forecast by Saws. Conradie said that as it moved across the eastern escarpment and south-east coast, a very intense surface low-pressure system developed roughly beneath it. This drove extremely strong winds that also transported a lot of moisture off the still relatively warm Agulhas Current region. 'Extremely heavy rainfall and destructive wind gusts resulted, particularly in the early hours of Tuesday, 10 Jun, over the eastern parts of the Eastern Cape,' said Conradie Multiple intersecting factors result in these kinds of disasters; weather and climate are only one aspect of that landscape. 'The adverse weather conditions in the Eastern Cape were because of the cut-off low that began by affecting the Western Cape and the Northern Cape from 7 June 2025. The weather system progressed to the eastern parts of the country and started to cause havoc over the Eastern Cape from 9-10 June 2025, Monday and Tuesday. The adverse weather conditions lasted for the week, with the emergency teams still helping. The weather system exited the area by Wednesday, 11 June 2025,' said Thobela. The areas over the central and eastern half of the Eastern Cape that were hit the hardest, recorded more than 50mm of rainfall water depth in 24 hours – Mthatha recorded 149mm, Port Alfred recorded 51.6mm and Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) recorded 93.6 mm. But rainfall was not the only factor that escalated the disaster. Following an assessment by the Department of Water and Sanitation, engineers determined that the Mthatha flooding was exacerbated by two simultaneous events. On Monday, 9 June 2025, the Mthatha Dam was already at 99.8% capacity before sudden upstream rains raised its level to 102% by midnight, causing it to spill. At the same time, the Cicira River tributary, located downstream from the dam, was also experiencing flash floods. The department said that it was this combination of the dam's spillage and the heavy, independent flow from the flooded tributary that caused the Mthatha River to overflow its banks. Floods most common disasters in SA and Africa A recent study, published in May 2025, analysing weather-related disasters in South Africa from 1980 to 2023, found that floods and storms are the most common disasters in the country, with the highest number of incidents reported in KwaZulu-Natal. The research, which used the Emergency Events Database, also identified the primary weather systems driving these events. It was conducted by researchers from the University of Pretoria, the Global Change Institute at the University of Witwatersrand, the University of Limpopo, the South African Weather Service and others. Their analysis revealed that the eThekwini metropolitan municipality in KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most disasters during this period, while the Cape Town metropolitan area had the highest number in the western region of South Africa. In Gauteng, the most populous province in the country, Johannesburg saw the highest number of floods, and Ekurhuleni had the most storms. This aligns with what has been experienced across the continent – flooding has been the leading natural disaster in African countries for decades. The study found that floods were the most reported disaster type, with 49 occurrences, followed by storms with 33. Droughts and wildfires were the next most common, with 11 and 10 events, respectively. When it comes to the geographic distribution of these, the eastern part of South Africa, particularly KwaZulu-Natal, experienced the highest frequency of both floods and storms. The Cape Town metro was a hotspot for droughts. When it came to what has been driving the weather systems causing these, the study linked flood and storm disasters to eight types of synoptic weather systems. Cut-off lows were the most significant, causing 48 of the reported disasters. Upper troughs were the second most influential, responsible for 15 disasters. Ex-tropical cyclones were linked to four disasters during the 43-year period. Cut-off lows were also responsible for the Heritage Day floods in Cape Town in 2023 and the Nelson Mandela Bay floods of April and June 2024. The researchers found that the concentration of disasters in metropolitan areas such as eThekwini and Cape Town suggests that human factors such as urbanisation may amplify the impacts of extreme weather events. The research was based on data from the Emergency Events Database, which has specific criteria for including an event, such as 10 or more deaths, 100 or more people affected, a declaration of a state of emergency, or a call for international assistance. The authors noted that while their study provided a comprehensive overview, the reliance on the Emergency Events Database could lead to an underestimation of disaster events, particularly in rural areas where reporting may be less consistent. The study concluded that mid-latitude, mid-tropospheric systems were the primary drivers of flood and storm disasters in South Africa; it is hoped that these findings enhance the understanding of weather-related disaster risks in South Africa for better climate resilience and proactive disaster management. Thobela said the most important lesson they were learning was to make sure there was better communication with the affected communities and to make sure that there were more community engagements that taught about being proactive about weather warnings, rather than reactive. DM
News24
2 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Eastern Cape floods: R1.2bn needed to rebuild homes, govt mulls housing policy reforms
About 4 652 households were affected and at least 90 people killed following flooding in the Eastern Cape, with Mthatha being the epicentre. Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane suggested giving victims building materials rather than waiting for lengthy tender processes. The Eastern Cape government said it was engaging with traditional leaders to secure land away from flood-prone river banks. The government estimates it will require R1.2 billion to build houses for Eastern Cape flood victims. Due to the urgency of the situation, not all parts of the rebuilding process might undergo the normal tender process. On Wednesday afternoon, Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC Siphokazi Lusithi told News24 that 4 652 households were affected by last week's deadly deluge. At least 90 people were killed. The provincial government said residents might be given building materials to construct their houses - a normal process in the rural Eastern Cape. Even though Mthatha remains the epicentre of the devastating floods, other areas in the province have also been affected. Lusithi and Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane visited flood victims in Butterworth on Wednesday afternoon. The floods have displaced more than 1 000 residents, mostly from informal settlements. Simelane said flood victims who built their houses near riverbanks would be asked to move their structures at the start of the rebuilding process. 'First, we would like to prioritise bereaved families, even if only for a short term, to allow them to pay their last respects to their deceased family members.' She added the government was working towards doing away with temporary accommodation. Simelane said: The MEC [Lusithi] is busy with the intervention regarding land access. Traditional leaders are making a huge promise to us. In Mthatha, we are engaging with the Department of Public Works for land availability. She added the floods were one of the biggest disasters the government had ever faced. 'One of the lessons we are learning as the Department of Human Settlements is that we need to rethink our housing, emergency and grant policies. 'Why are we tendering for RDP houses? People in rural areas build houses for themselves. But if the government can say, 'We know your mud house has collapsed and here is the building material', instead of making them wait for 10 years for the tendering process. 'If we can buy the building materials and have NHBRC [the National Home Builders Registration Council] oversee the people who are building, people would take pride in the idea. They would never sell those houses. 'I am not claiming this would be easy, but we need to reconsider our housing policy,' said Simelane. Lusithi added R1.2 billion would be needed to rebuild the destroyed houses, 'which goes to the point that the minister [Simelane] was making that we need to reconsider how we respond to disasters'. Khangelani Mangisa, 37, has lived in the Skiti informal settlement in Butterworth for the past 17 years. The area was hit hard by the floods, which displaced many residents. 'I would love to go back to a brick-and-mortar house. I lived in a shack because I could not build a house. The idea by the minister to give us land and building materials is a great one,' added Mangisa.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Climate
- IOL News
Thembi Simelane to visit Eastern Cape after deadly storm claims 90 lives
Officials with a body retrieved from a dam in the Eastern Cape Image: Gift of the Givers Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, is expected to embark on a three-day visit to storm-stricken Eastern Cape, as the death toll from last week's deadly rains has climbed to 90. The department said nearly 3,000 households have been affected, with over 1,000 homes or structures destroyed and more than 600 partially destroyed. Provincial Department of Health confirmed that post-mortems have been completed on more than 80 bodies, with families having positively identified their loved ones. Premier Oscar Mabuyane further announced that Mthatha, the area hardest hit, has been declared a disaster area. President Cyril Ramaphosa with senior officials and the Gift of the Givers during an oversight visit in the EC Image: GCIS Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Simelane is set to meet with provincial and municipal leadership to decide on the next course of action to assist flood victims. Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa conducted an inspection on loco at the Efata Bridge in Mthata where a bus scholar transport was tragically swept away due to the flooding. Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the loss of lives and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, affected communities and Eastern Cape residents at large. IOL
IOL News
12-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
SIU investigates R3. 1 billion in Housing Development Agency deals
The Special Investigating Unit is going after transactions worth hundreds of millions of rand approved by the state-owned Housing Development Agency and eight provincial Human Settlements departments. Image: Sandi Kwon Hoo / Independent Newspapers The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is probing dodgy transactions valued at about R3.1 billion approved by the state-owned Housing Development Agency (HDA) and eight provincial Human Settlements departments since 2016. Several of the HDA's deals now under scrutiny were for the identification, acquisition, holding, development, and release of state, communal, and privately owned land for residential and community purposes by the agency, in its name, or for and on behalf of the provincial departments or by the departments. The provincial Human Settlements departments involved are from the Eastern and Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, and the Northern Cape. According to details of the property sales being probed, the highest amount paid was the R389.1 million spent in Chris Hani in Ekurhuleni for 2,560 serviced residential stands in 2021/22, R279m for land in the City of Tshwane in the 2020/21 financial year, while R213m was paid in the Eagles Nest township transaction also in Ekurhuleni in 2019/20. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Another R195m was for land in Palm Ridge, also in Ekurhuleni, in 2020/21, while the lowest transaction was R120,000 in Theunissen, Masilonyana, in the Free State in 2021/22. Strangely, the three valuations of the land eventually bought for R120,000 ranged between R285,000 and R13.2m. The SIU is investigating any alleged serious maladministration in connection with the agency's affairs and the departments' improper or unlawful conduct by their employees, unlawful expenditure of public money, as well as offences committed in violation of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. The offences include unlawful or improper conduct by any person, which has caused or may cause serious harm to the interests of the public between April 2016 and this year. The corruption-busting unit will also determine whether there was any irregular, improper, or unlawful conduct by applicable service providers of the agency and departments, or any other person or entity. In addition, the SIU will investigate whether the manner these contracts were entered into was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, or cost-effective and contrary to applicable legislation, manuals, guidelines, practice notes, circulars, or instructions issued by the National Treasury or the relevant provincial Treasury. It will also check if manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of, or applicable to the agency and departments and the related unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred or losses suffered by the agency, departments or the State.
IOL News
31-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Collapsing buildings: lapses in safety and security in the construction sector
The Tongaat Mall Image: File ACCORDING to Jomo Sibiya, Deputy of Employment and Labour, the South African construction sector has one of the highest accident rates in the country, with 1.5 to two fatalities per week, and is classified as one of the top four high-risk industries in the country. Building collapses occur when a structure fails and partially or fully collapses, endangering human lives and health. This can result from various factors, including structural failures, poor construction practices, and external forces like fires or earthquakes. The effects of a building collapse can be devastating, leading to loss of life, injuries, property damage, and significant economic and social disruption. On May 6, 2024, the Neo Victoria project, a residential building under construction, collapsed in George, Western Cape, killing 34 workers and injuring 28. The George Building Collapse was a tragic disaster and one of the worse in the South African construction industry. President Ramaphosa extended his condolences: 'We know that many of you are in grief. There's no worse grief than people who have lost their loved ones… We are here to give comfort, and there will be a need for… psychosocial support. And when that is the case, we will have people who will give that support … There will be assistance for those who are in hospital to be well treated, there will be assistance for those who have to be buried. There will also be compensation that will have to go through the channels of our various institutions.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Most of the deceased were foreign undocumented labourers from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. To date, there is no record of their names. After all, in South Africa, undocumented migrant labourers are expendable. The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane presented a report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements on 4 April 2025: 'It's a report which indicates the failure of our systems at the NHBRC … There was a lapse of enrolment requirements which were overlooked by our internal staff at the council …There was a lapse …with regard to the structural engineering and drawings and the details which were not fully disclosed as they should have been… We also had missing detailed material information about the construction… The contractor cut corners. Our system enabled him to cut corners by not following our standard operating procedures and even approving without the fulfilment of all the necessary attachments that needed to be done.' There were also design flaws, poor quality concrete, and safety alerts were overlooked. Four construction workers lost their lives and one survived following the collapse of an embankment at a construction site in Zen Drive, Ballito, on 18 May 2024. On 29 March 2025, two workers employed by a construction firm were digging a trench on Canehaven Drive, Phoenix, when a retaining wall and sand and metal reinforcement fell on them. It was established that the deceased were Mozambican nationals. On November 19, 2013, a section of the second floor of the partly completed Tongaat Mall collapsed, killing two and injuring 29 construction workers. Construction of the Tongaat Mall had commenced without the building plans being approved. Gralio Precast, the company developing the mall, was a beneficiary of many tenders from the eThekwini Metro. A commission of inquiry was appointed by the Department of Labour and chaired by Inspector Phumudzo Maphaha to investigate this collapse. The investigation found that the collapse was due to substandard construction work and several contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Construction Regulations which included the following: poor plan design; the contractor's failure to comply with regulations; contraventions of the Safety and Health regulation; missing steels and columns; lack of supervision on site; an important site diary was missing; lack of health and safety audits; and inappropriate building materials (cement imported from Pakistan did not meet South African Bureau of Standards requirements). These reasons can be attributed to a reckless, calculated strategy by the developer to save construction costs and compromise the safety of onsite workers. For example, a beam with insufficient steel bars may have led to the collapse. According to an engineer, the beam should have had 19 steel bars. Also, some of the concrete utilised was less than a third of the required strength. In May 2016, the then Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant acknowledged that while there was clear evidence of impropriety, she was not in a position to give the names of people and companies implicated. Instead, she handed over the inquiry results to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal for further investigation and action. However, as reported by News 24, eight years on in May 2024, Natasha Ramkissoon-Kara, spokesperson for the NPA, said that 'Investigations are ongoing, and we are therefore not in a position yet to make any decision in respect of the matter.' However, it is a common cause that the NPA has a poor history of initiating prosecutions and achieving convictions in high-profile cases involving malfeasance. This delay by the NPA in investigating and prosecuting those implicated in deliberately compromising safety in the construction sector has national implications. An analysis conducted for the South African Institute of Occupational Health (SAIOSH) in May 2024 by Professor of Construction Management at Nelson Mandela University, John Smallwood, emphasised the ongoing safety issues and the need for extensive measures to enhance the industry's health and safety practices. According to Professor of Smallwood: 'There is no such thing as an accident … noting that what are traditionally termed accidents are often the result of management failures …Workers exposed to hazards and risks are people with a body, mind, and soul, who invariably have a partner, a family, and are derived from a community.' He emphasised that unforeseen accidents are often 'planned by default' through actions or inactions, highlighting the necessity for a change in the industry's safety approach. Lennie Samuel, a senior inspector and forensic investigator at the Department of Labour, similarly contended that the absence of oversight and management failures is the main reason for collapsing buildings. The causes of most of the incidents examined could be traced to senior management, who only fix the immediate causes or symptoms rather than the underlying issues. Regrettably, the outcomes frequently result in injuries, disabilities, deaths and collapses. A comprehensive strategy is essential to decrease accidents in the South African construction sector, including training, recognising hazards, appropriate tools and processes, and implementing robust site management practices and a robust safety culture. This involves complying with applicable regulations, fostering effective communication, and promoting employee safety, health and welfare. Professor Brij Maharaj Image: File Professor Brij Maharaj is a geography professor at UKZN. He writes in his personal capacity. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. THE POST
