Heavy rainfall over the past two weeks has caused extensive flooding across South Africa, severely damaging local infrastructure and disrupting daily life, prompting authorities to activate emergency measures.
The hardest-hit region is Mpumalanga Province, where roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure have suffered large-scale damage.
"Now the damage is very huge, because like cars now can't be able to make movement, we are mostly affected in our villages. So probably each and every section needs to [have] serious intervention, so that it can be back to normal," said Bio Mpungane, a municipal councillor of Bushbuckridge District, Mpumalanga Province.
"When it was raining, we started to experience, or to receive reports, of houses that were falling and also bridges that were really being washed away. This has really affected badly the communities living around the areas that had a damage. We've never had a flood like this, for the past 6-7 years. Our infrastructure is unable to withstand," said an official of Bushbuckridge District.
Pools of floodwater are posing great dangers to locals.
"[For] the children who are going to school, they also use this road, and the road now is very [much] damaged. It's very dangerous. Especially for these children, it's very, very dangerous," said Malela, a local resident.
South Africa's National Disaster Management Center declared a national disaster on Sunday. The government has stated that it will continue to coordinate resources in response to the evolving situation, aiming to reduce the impact of the floods on lives and property.
Data from the South African Weather Service showed that since the start of the rainy season, multiple parts of the country have received rainfall far above historical averages.
Severe flooding in South Africa damages infrastructure, disrupts daily life
