South Africa Flood Death Toll Rises to 86, Climate Change Blamed

The death toll from the floods in South Africa's Eastern Cape province has reached 86, according to the police minister. Rescue teams continue to search for missing individuals and recover bodies in and around Mthatha, where the floods struck early Tuesday morning.

The police minister addressed rescue teams, emphasizing the tragedy of the situation. He also cautioned residents against misinformation circulating on social media, specifically regarding claims that the disaster was caused by the opening of sluice gates at a nearby dam. He clarified that the dam in question does not have such gates.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Mthatha on Friday and announced that authorities would investigate any potential issues with the local dam that might have contributed to the disaster. The head of the provincial government described a wall of water, reaching 3-4 meters in height, that surged from the river, carrying away victims and parts of their homes, while trapping others inside.

President Ramaphosa attributed the heavy rains and floods, in part, to climate change, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of some of South Africa's coastal regions to weather-related disasters. He referenced the 2022 floods in Durban, which resulted in over 400 deaths and were linked to climate change.

Despite weather warnings issued last week about an extreme cold front bringing heavy rains and strong winds, many people in the Mthatha area and a neighboring district were caught off guard by the floods. The region is largely rural and one of the country's poorest, with communities living in informal housing near the river being particularly vulnerable when it overflowed.

Authorities have faced criticism regarding the rescue response and the state of the infrastructure in the area. Rescue teams have been searching for nearly a week, and officials believe the death toll could rise further. One of the bodies recovered on Saturday was that of a boy believed to be around 13 or 14 years old.

Many children are among the deceased, although authorities have not provided an exact count. Some victims were found up to 2 kilometers away from their homes, carried by the floodwaters.