The death toll in the Eastern Cape following yesterday’s incident in the OR Tambo district has risen from seven to nine overnight. According to the provincial government, over the past two days, the heavy and perennial downpours have led to devastating flooding and landslides, resulting in multiple fatalities and significant damage to property and infrastructure. A combined multi-disciplinary emergency services team has been established and continues to search for the school bus that was swept away with school children on…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to be careful, kind, and united as the country faces harsh winter weather that has already claimed lives in the Eastern Cape. In a media statement released on Wednesday, the President expressed deep sorrow after seven people died in flooding near Mthatha and Tsolo. Authorities also confirmed that several children are missing after a school transport vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. Three learners were rescued. “I offer my condolences to the bereaved…

The ongoing floods in the Eastern Cape have claimed seven lives and the death toll may rise as the heavy rains continue to batter the province. According to the provincial government, the loss of life occurred amid intense cold and flooding conditions that have severely affected several communities in the province. The fatalities have for now been reported from various areas at the OR Tambo District Municipality in the northern part of the province. The government added that the severe…

A six-year-old boy has died after flash floods overwhelmed his family’s shack on a farm in Limpopo, in the northern part of South Africa, and swept him away. His desperate parents survived by jumping on top of the roof and watching in dismay as the boy disappeared. Provincial police say the tragic incident happened at Uitenhage farm in Thabazimbi, Waterberg District, on Wednesday, February 19, but the boy’s body was recovered today. “A couple, together with their child, were in…

The heavy rains that battered Durban and other areas in KwaZulu-Natal have claimed six lives in different places. The death toll is expected to rise as disaster teams are still combing affected areas across the province. The provisional death toll was announced by the eThekwini Municipality, confirming four deaths, while KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi added others while speaking in Pietermaritzburg.  The four fatalities in eThekwini were reported in Folweni, KwaMakhutha, Demat and Ensimbini…

THE death toll after Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Malawi stands at 676. At least 533 people are missing. According to a draft assessment report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), some 2,3 million people have been affected, over 1,6 million severely food insecure and over 650 000 displaced. The highest reported impact was in the agriculture sector, where more than 2,26 million people (51 percent women) lost their crops and livestock as 179 223 hectares of land were destroyed. The…