Storm Gezani could impact more than one million people in central and southern Mozambique, minister warns – Watch

More than one million people could be affected by the passage of the moderate tropical storm Gezani, whose forecasts indicate that, from Thursday (12), it may hit the provinces of Sofala, Gaza and Inhambane, in central and southern Mozambique. The information was announced this Monday in Maputo by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael, who stressed that the country is still recording some river basins under alert, making it urgent for populations to be properly informed about the potential risk associated with the occurrence of a cyclone. “It is also expected that more than one million people living in that coastal area will be impacted, and it will further affect our infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals,” said Rafael, during a visit to the Hydrological Forecasting and Monitoring Room, installed at the National Emergency Operations Centre, at Mavalane Air Base, in the city of Maputo.

On the occasion, the minister called on the authorities to remain on standby and advised the population to seek credible information from official media outlets, as the country remains under Red Alert. Photo: Direcção Nacional de Gestão de Recursos Hídricos “The return of families to their homes must be done cautiously, and they should continue to assess and follow all the information published by the government authorities,” he said, adding that with the aforementioned Room, whose equipment has already reached 90 per cent, meteorological forecasts may become increasingly efficient and effective. February corresponds to the peak of the rainy and cyclonic season, which began in October 2025 and is expected to continue until next April, a fact which, according to the minister, justifies maintaining the alert regime throughout the country.

A document presented during the visit by the National Director of Water Resources Management, Agostinho Vilanculos, and accessed by AIM, reveals that Gezani may affect around 13,000 schools, 1,800 health units, approximately 800 kilometres of the electricity network, as well as one substation. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) warns that Gezani, which formed in the south-western basin of the Indian Ocean, may evolve into a cyclone in the coming hours. As of 08:00 on Monday (Mozambique time), the system had average winds of 75 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, moving south-west at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour.

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Projections indicate that the storm may reach the Mozambique Channel within the next 72 hours. In a statement, INAM notes that Gezani may carry winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, with gusts that could reach 140 kilometres per hour, accompanied by heavy rainfall. Rafael also said that preliminary data point to the need for around US$600 million for the rehabilitation of infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, destroyed by floods and inundations.

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