Severe flooding in Limpopohas claimed 11 lives, including a five-year-old child and damaged more than 1 600 homes following days of relentless rainfall across the province. Limpopo premierPhophi Ramathubaconfirmed the extent of the disaster during a briefing on Friday, after President Cyril Ramaphosavisited affected areasin the Vhembe and Mopani districts to assess the damage on Thursday. “We gather here today under a dark cloud that has unleashed astonishing rains, unprecedented in their intensity, measuring up to 400mm,” Ramathuba said.
“The devastation inflicted upon our communities, our infrastructure and, tragically, the loss of lives cannot be overstated.” TheSouth African Weather Servicehas upgraded its warning to a Red Level 10 — its highest and most dangerous alert — for Limpopo and Mpumalanga, for conditions that continue to pose a severe risk to life, livelihoods and infrastructure. Ramathuba said the severe weather began on December 25 in the Waterberg and Capricorn districts before intensifying last week and spreading to Vhembe, Mopani and Sekhukhune. Roads have been washed away, bridges destroyed and entire communities cut off from essential services, including schools, clinics and police stations.
The Limpopo premier noted that the scale of the damage far exceeds the province’s emergency funding capacity. “The sheer scale of the damage makes it impossible for the province and affected municipalities to respond alone.” She estimated that about R1.7 billion would be required to repair damaged roads, adding that assessments were still under way. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been deployed to assist with the temporary restoration of access routes.
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More than 1 600 homes have been damaged, many of them completely destroyed or washed away. “In some areas, you cannot even see where houses once stood; that there were people residing there. Some homes, in some areas, remain submerged, with water reaching roof level, which has already jeopardised their structural integrity,” Ramathuba said.
Education has also been severely disrupted. The reopening of about 1 400 schools has been delayed. “It’s not that they are damaged by storms but we had to suspend teaching, which is very painful for us, but children’s safety comes first.” She said that at least 31 schools have been damaged and added that catch-up plans would be implemented once conditions stabilised.
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