No casualties after flooding hits South Africa's Kruger National Park

Authorities say there have been no casualties in South Africa's Kruger National Park despite the recent spate of flooding which has hit the region, with accurate forecasting and effective preventative measures also ensuring no animals have come to harm.

South Africa's National Disaster Management Center declared a national disaster on Sunday as heavy rains and flooding continued to batter northern parts of the country.

According to local media reports, continuous rainfall since late December has caused severe flooding in the northeastern Limpopo Province, where at least 17 people, including two children, have died.

The flooding has forced the partial closure of the Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves, with more than 600 visitors being evacuated after rising waters inundated access roads and campsites.

Willie Aucamp, South Africa's Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, said that the precautionary measures taken at the site ensured there were no reports of any casualties or any injuries around the park.

He added that the wider economic losses caused by the floods are still being assessed but said the national park has announced the establishment of a relief fund for disaster reconstruction and emergency expenditures.

South African officials have stated that the scope and intensity of this round of floods are similar to the historic flooding of the year 2000, which caused widespread damage and also hit neighboring Mozambique hard.

However, staff at the Kruger National Park say that improved technology and management capabilities has strengthened the park's flood response mechanisms compared to the past, with drones, satellite imagery, and real-time monitoring systems enabling them to assess risks earlier and take action in advance.

"The animals had moved days before the rain even started. So all our animals are fine. They're intact. We have not seen any carcass of animals that are dead. So people must know that the animals are fine and they're doing very well," said Reynold Thakhuli, the park's general manger of public relations, media and stakeholder relations.

Staff say that these technologies are also being used to good effect in anti-poaching operations and play a particularly important role in the protection of endangered species such as rhinos.

No casualties after flooding hits South Africa's Kruger National Park

China's consumption growth continues to show resilience, with millions of new restaurants opening last year, underscoring robust demand in the domestic catering sector, said Zhang Yichen, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Zhang, who is CEO of CITIC Capital and chairs the master franchise of McDonald's China, told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that 3.5 million new restaurants opened across the country last year, including about 1,000 new McDonald's outlets annually.

At this year's "two sessions," Zhang urged policymakers to introduce measures that would encourage dine-in consumption, linking the restaurant boom to broader efforts to sustain domestic demand.

"This is the amazing resilience of the Chinese economy and Chinese enterprises overall. It's that you have another 3.5 million restaurants, new restaurants, opened," he said.

Zhang believes the key challenge now is reviving in-person dining and shopping to sustain long-term consumption growth.

"In the short term we're actually gaining from that. But in the long run, I believe overall the industry will suffer and the economy will suffer. That's why I brought up the issue and I'm so glad that the government is clearly agreeing with my views. The fact that we're (McDonald's China) opening 1000 restaurants a year and the fact that there are new restaurants still doing very well, it's a clear indication there is consumption power, you just have to find them," he said.

The "two sessions" are the annual meetings of China's supreme organ of state power, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the CPPCC. Both bodies serve five-year terms and hold a plenary session each year.

The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC opened in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively.

Zhang’s remarks underscore both the resilience of China's consumer market and the need for policies to secure sustained demand, a key focus of this year’s "two sessions."

CPPCC member seeks measures to boost dine-in consumption as China's demand stays resilient