Eastern Cape in crisis: Floods and landslides displace thousands, government and NGOs rally together

A devastating cut-off low weather system has battered South Africa since the weekend, unleashing days of extreme rainfall that has displaced thousands and left at least 39 people dead in the Eastern Cape.

Since early June, the South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued multiple alerts warning of flooding, disrupted transport, and coastal damage. The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have borne the brunt, with widespread power outages, infrastructure damage and emergency operations in full swing.

Read more: Brutal winter storm slams South Africa: Eastern Cape on high alert with flooding, snow and road chaos

Eastern Cape bears the brunt

“While all provinces have experienced severe incidents of extremely cold weather, with high winds and with coastal provinces experiencing rough seas, and rainfall, the province of the Eastern Cape has been hardest hit by the current severe weather incident,” said the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Wednesday, 11 June 2025.

In the Eastern Cape, torrential rain and flooding have caused landslides, swept ripped rooftops from buildings and washed away homes. 

On Wednesday afternoon, 11 June, the Eastern Cape Provincial Government confirmed that 39 people had died in the OR Tambo District alone.

“Among them, we mourn the tragic loss of children whose scholar transport was swept away in floodwaters,” said Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane

The number of people confirmed to have been in the minibus taxi is 13. Of the group, three learners were rescued yesterday. Four learners are confirmed to have died, along with the driver and a conductor. Four learners are still missing.

Thus far, the search and rescue operation, led by the SAPS and including a team from the disaster-relief NGO Gift of the Givers, is looking for the missing learners in and around Mthatha, while the provincial education department is bringing in support, said the province.

Also among the dead in the area are six people whose bodies were recovered near Mthatha and another near Tsolo. 

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) confirmed that the scholar transport vehicle, a 22-seater minibus affiliated with one of its members, was transporting learners to Jumba Senior Secondary School when the incident occurred on Tuesday morning, 10 June.

“The vehicle was en route to Jumba Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape when it was swept away by rising water levels at the Efata Bridge,” said Santaco.

“According to preliminary reports, the driver had contacted the vehicle owner earlier in the morning to request assistance, having noticed that the vehicle was stuck,” said the council. “Unfortunately, by the time help arrived, the water had engulfed the bridge.”

Santaco said that due to varying examination timetables, the number of learners on board could not be confirmed. Witnesses reported seeing at least three learners clinging to trees and calling for help.

President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed sorrow over the loss of life and urged citizens to prioritise collaboration over conflict. 

“We must pull together when disaster strikes and… put problem-solving and collaboration ahead of blame and conflict,” he said.

Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Mabuyane extended condolences to the affected families and confirmed that the provincial government was actively supporting recovery efforts in OR Tambo.

Thousands of homes washed away, people displaced

Flooding and landslides have displaced thousands of people, forcing residents into temporary shelters across the region. In Amathole District, more than 200 people were relocated from Sikiti Informal Settlement to AB Bam Primary School, with hundreds more sheltered in Butterworth Town Hall.

Ali Sablay, Gift of the Givers Project Manager, told Daily Maverick that their teams had been on standby since Saturday, 7 June, following a level 6 disaster warning for the Eastern Cape province and meetings with disaster risk management.

“But then on Monday morning, the community and residents of Butterworth got a rude awakening when the riverbanks overflowed and many homes got flooded, and some got washed away,” he said, noting that from 3am calls for disaster relief started coming through, and 1,500 people were immediately evacuated into community halls.

“The devastation in Butterworth is huge, over 5,000 people affected,” said Sablay. 

Gift of the Givers is supporting up to 2,500 people in temporary shelters with hot meals, water, blankets, mattresses and hygiene supplies, especially for babies and vulnerable groups. Operations there are expected to continue for five to seven more days.

Outside of the town, Sablay estimated that more than 10,000 people had been affected across OR Tambo District Municipality, a number that continued to grow. 

“We can increase that number every hour, as roads become accessible and assessments could be done. But our teams are fully mobilised on the ground,” he said.

Gift of the Givers had dispatched additional supplies from Cape Town and Gauteng to support affected areas that faced damage due to flooding and had requested help, including Chris Hani, Joe Gqabi, OR Tambo and Amathole district municipalities.

“Some of the roads are inaccessible, but we are providing those places and community halls with immediate humanitarian aid,” he said. “This operation will not be done in a day or two; we will be there in the coming weeks. Our teams will still be on site in these disaster areas as the water subsides.”

Government response

On 10 June, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa convened an urgent meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Management to assess relief efforts. The committee — comprising leaders from all levels of government,  the South African Local Government Association and traditional leaders — coordinated technical teams to repair damaged infrastructure and ensure clean water via tankers.

The committee commended NGOs including Gift of the Givers and Al-Imdaad Foundation for delivering hot meals and blankets to displaced families. The national road agency and municipal teams have reopened key routes, although the public is urged to drive cautiously.

Emergency services and disaster management teams remain on the ground across affected districts. The Eastern Cape provincial government, in coordination with the South African Social Security Agency and the Department of Social Development, has confirmed the delivery of food, essential supplies and psychosocial support.

“While the government discharges its responsibilities and services to citizens, we welcome the support we see… from businesses, community- and faith-based organisations, and charities,” said Ramaphosa.  “Let’s show our care for each other this winter and let ubuntu see us through to spring.”

Floods leave Butterworth without water

Significant damage has been reported at the Butterworth Water Treatment Works, where pumps and electrical control panels were submerged, rendering the facility unable to supply water. Urgent repair efforts are under way to restore this critical infrastructure.

“We just got off a disaster management meeting now… the water treatment plant in Butterworth is completely off bounds,” said Sablay from Gift of the Givers, adding that the plant had been severely damaged and some of the parts were washed away. 

 “There is no water in Butterworth at the moment,” he said. “The whole town is without water.”

To help meet urgent needs, the organisation had deployed two water tanker trucks, with refills being supplied by Amatole Waterworks at the Great Kei district.

“We are grateful to the Amatole Waterworks, who have made a supply available to fill up those water tankers,” said Sablay.

Schools damaged

While the strong winds and storms have destroyed roads and the homes of residents, schools were also affected. The spokesperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department, Lungi Mtshali, told Daily Maverick that four schools had been damaged due to the strong winds; however, there had been no fatalities. 

The schools damaged include Gomane Primary School, Nhlambamasoka Primary School and KwaMadlala Primary School in Pietermaritzburg. The roofs of these schools had blown off, along with two water tanks at Gomane that were responsible for the school’s water supply. Pupils and parents had been advised to stay home. 

“There are safety measures that are being put in place, but also bear in mind that we are trying to ensure that there’s limited disruption to learning,”said Mtshali. “So in the parts of the schools that are not affected, learning carries on.

“We will bring things like mobile classrooms for those classrooms that are totally out of commission, but the long-term view is to make sure that we act quickly and as efficiently as possible to rebuild those classrooms or repair them.”

He added that as they had a budgetary constraint, he could not know when those classrooms would be repaired.

Saws meteorologist Lehlohonolo Thobela said the adverse weather, caused by several systems in the east, was giving way to more stable conditions. Saws forecasted an end to the inclement weather from 11 June 2025, with fine, cold to cool conditions expected across the country into the Youth Day weekend. 

Meanwhile, the government says the National Disaster Management Centre and provincial teams remained on high alert to provide rapid response and support where necessary. 

Ramaphosa urged the public to exercise caution, avoid flooded roads and obey safety regulations. 

“Our beautiful country is a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable place for most of the year, but we cannot escape winter’s intensity and our own vulnerability,” he said. DM

 Additional reporting by Siyabonga Goni. 

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