Mom who lost three daughters rebuilding life in Cape Town

A year after flash floods claimed the lives of her three young daughters, Yola Bavu has left the Eastern Cape in an attempt to rebuild her life. The 28-year-old is now living with relatives in Cape Town after losing Indiphile, 11, Keneilwe, 9, and Cebo, 6, in the devastating June 10 2025 floods. The sisters were among the children swept away when floodwaters tore through Mthatha West and surrounding communities.

Unable to speak about the tragedy, Bavu asked her mother, Lumka, to tell the family’s story. “She is still struggling. She tries to be strong, but after the funeral she could not cope,” Lumka said.

The family eventually decided Bavu should move to Cape Town to be closer to relatives and start a new chapter of her life. The three girls had been living with their grandmother in Slovo Park, where Lumka worked as a cook at Mandela Primary School. The children attended Bambanani Primary School.

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Indiphile was in grade 6, Keneilwe in grade 3 and Cebo in grade 1. Before the floods, Bavu had travelled to visit family in Sibangweni village, leaving her daughters in her mother’s care. “I promised them I would be back on June 11, but little did I know they would be gone,” she said. “Maybe they wanted to die with me, but God did not allow it.”

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