Another cold front expected for Western Cape as Parliament hears how Eastern Cape reels from deadly deluge

The Eastern Cape continues to count the cost of the catastrophic flooding that has left parts of the province in ruins and killed nearly 100 people. 

“At Mthatha, water went beyond what is normal. The level at which water flooded the houses — it is completely beyond what is normal,” Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa told MPs in Parliament on Tuesday, 24 June 2025. 

Provincial authorities, along with Dr Elias Sithole, the deputy director-general of the National Disaster Management Centre, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, and Hlabisa appeared before Parliament’s Cogta committee on Tuesday to present an update on the disaster response. 

Flooding caused by days of torrential rain killed at least 97 people, including 23 learners, in the Eastern Cape earlier this month. The deluge, provincial authorities told MPs, had displaced dozens of families and destroyed more than 4,700 homes. 

A total of 6,869 households have been affected, of which 4,724 have been left homeless across the province — with the exception of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro — while 2,145 homes were partially damaged.

Rescuers, including teams from the non-profit organisation Gift of the Givers, have managed to rescue 38 people in the province. Three learners are still missing, according to Sithole’s presentation.  

The youngest victim in Mthatha was about 12 months old. 

Read more: Mthatha floods turn homes into graves

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, meanwhile, has taken 34 days leave for “family commitments” as the province mourns the victims of the deluge, according to a News24 report. 

More rain is forecast this week, with Sithole saying the National Disaster Management Centre had received an early warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) about another cold front that was expected to hit some parts of the province in the next few days. 

In a statement issued on Monday, 23 June, the weather service said that an intense cold front, which was expected to hit the Northern Cape and Western Cape on Wednesday, 25 June, would affect the Eastern Cape as the system progressed eastwards. 

“The key concern is the strong, damaging winds expected across most parts of the province on Thursday, 26 June,” said the weather service. 

MEDIA RELEASE: Another intense cold front is expected to hit the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape from Wednesday to Friday, 25 to 27 June 2025 pic.twitter.com/graDRCngNU

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) June 23, 2025

Infrastructure damage and impact on education facilities

The Amathole (including Butterworth) and OR Tambo (in and around Mthatha) districts were the hardest hit regions in the province. 

“The impact of the incident is multifold: loss of lives, displaced families, infrastructure damages, homelessness, livestock losses, learners missing examinations, disruption of basic services such as water and electricity, and disrupted access to healthcare,” said Sithole. 

He said that assessments of infrastructure damage had been finalised, and the cost of repairing damaged infrastructure stood at an estimated R5.1-billion, with R1.8-billion estimated for repairs to municipal infrastructure. 

“A total of 6,869 households have been affected, of which 4,724 have been left homeless across the province — with the exception of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro — while 2,145 homes were partially damaged,” said Sithole. 

He added that R461-million was required for temporary residential units, of which the province had R120-million. 

Read more: Deadly Mthatha flood underscores worsening factors increasing risks for SA

“Homeless people are being housed both at mass care centres (1,353 in total), and in temporary emergency accommodation (122 in total),” said Sithole, who added that the most vulnerable groups including the elderly, women and children, were being prioritised. 

He said the beneficiary lists for homeless households would be concluded by the end of the week. 

According to Sithole’s presentation, 51 roads were still impassable in the province (29 in Chris Hani and 22 in OR Tambo). 

Road infrastructure repair costs were estimated at R935-million, of which R102-million had been reprioritised from the provincial Department of Transport budget, leaving a deficit of R832-million, according to the presentation. 

An extraordinary 48,341 students and 413 schools had been affected by the flooding in the province. Sithole said total repairs to education facilities were estimated to cost R404-million.

Education facilities in the OR Tambo district were hardest hit, with 156 schools and 14,857 learners affected. The estimated cost of repairs for the damages in the region stands at R163.11-million.

Sithole said 492 learners in OR Tambo lost their uniforms and school stationary, and uniform sets and stationary would be delivered to those affected by the end of this week. 

He explained that there were three phases to the disaster relief: immediate or emergency humanitarian relief, stabilisation and recovery, and rehabilitation and reconstruction. 

Godongwana said that for the emergency relief phase “there is already grant funding which exists within the relevant departments — whether it’s Human Settlements for temporary residential units [for example]”. 

“In that sense, this phase is catered for. What’s going to be required is the second and third phases, which are the recovery and reconstruction phases… Once those two phases kick in, we’ll make those funds available — if there is not enough then there’s going to be an assessment to see whether we can make further adjustments,” he said. 

“As things stand at the moment, there is no request for funding as we are still dealing with that phase of the emergency relief.”

Relocation programme

In the meeting, MPs questioned why people living in flood-prone areas were not moved when early warnings indicated potential localised flooding.

Read more: Why SA’s excellent disaster management and legislation failed the Eastern Cape

Hlabisa said a “joint approach” was needed from all three spheres of government. He called on the government to make it a “national programme… that people on flood plains must relocate”. 

However, he said that in Mthatha the flooding “also affected people who are far from the danger zone”. 

Hlabisa’s call for a joint approach by the government for creating a programme to relocate people on flood plains was backed by Godongwana, who said: “This thing… it needs political cooperation — cooperation among political parties. If people are building in the wrong place, we as political parties [must] form a common approach.” DM

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