The Death Toll Continues to Rise in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Floods
President Cyril Ramaphosa pledges support as communities face the destruction of homes, schools, and health facilities.
Members of the Emergency Medical Services, along with search and rescue teams, search for bodies washed up after a flood near Mthatha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape on June 13, 2025.
At least 78 people so far have lost their lives in the Eastern Cape’s O.R. Tambo district in South Africa, following days of relentless rainfall, SABC News reports. Among the victims are six high school learners and two adults who drowned on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, when a 22-seater minibus carrying 13 learners from Jumba Senior Secondary School was swept into a river on the R61 bridge in Decoligny, one of the worst-hit areas near Mthatha.
“[The rescue workers] waited for the water to subside. By the afternoon, only the roof of the taxi was visible, and by around 5 p.m., the windows could also be seen. When they finally got inside, there were no learners,” reported SABC News on Wednesday, June 11.
The flooding follows a severe cold front that hit South Africa beginning Sunday, June 9, bringing heavy rains and plunging temperatures across the country. The South African Weather Service had issued level 6 and level 8 warnings, but many communities, particularly in rural areas, were unprepared, and emergency response efforts have been criticized for their sluggish rollout.
President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the disaster during the Africa Green Summit yesterday, where he described the situation as dire. “The Eastern Cape is suffering from floods that are unprecedented and have easily killed more than 49 people,” he said. “We send our condolences to those families who lost their loved ones and will support the Eastern Cape government to deal with this disaster.”
Ramaphosa went on to acknowledge broader climate-related challenges facing the country and the continent. “We have also witnessed deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, and fires here in the Western Cape. We have also witnessed tropical cyclones in other parts of our continent and prolonged droughts, particularly in the Free State and Eastern Cape.”
He visited the province today, where he attended the National Disaster Management Center and visited the site of the school bus accident. He also went to console Ongezwa Mhlabathi, who lost her mother and her three children.
“We are very, very disturbed that so many people have passed away, but it could have been much worse. The response teams acted quickly,” said the President during an address today.
Speaking to the SABC yesterday, Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, expressed how a lot of the parents affected hadn’t just lost their children, but their homes as well. “It’s incredibly hard. It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to see,” she said. The minister continued that they were still awaiting a press conference by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to declare a disaster. “That’s what will determine what kind of resources are available,” she said. The press conference had not yet been held at the time of writing.
According to reports, 127 schools and 20 health facilities in the province were damaged, with around 1000 people seeking housing in community shelters when their houses were submerged under water or washed away. Roads and bridges have also been affected.
What’s happening in the Eastern Cape plays into the broader climate justice conversation happening worldwide. The devastating floods this week are part of a pattern of intensifying climate events disproportionately affecting rural and historically underserved communities. In recent years, South Africa has swung between extremes, such as the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods that killed over 400 people and displaced tens of thousands, or prolonged droughts that continue to dry up reservoirs and farmlands in the Eastern Cape and Free State, threatening water and food security.
“Despite these dire circumstances, the response from the Eastern Cape provincial government has been shamefully inadequate, with no disaster management preparedness to speak of,” reads a statement from the Economic Freedom Fighters. It continues: “As a result, the EFF calls for an immediate declaration of a National State of Disaster and demands that the response to this crisis be led entirely by national government structures, not by the Eastern Cape provincial government. The scale and urgency of this disaster far exceed what this provincial administration can handle, particularly one so deeply compromised by corruption, incompetence, and a proven history of looting public resources meant to uplift the people.”
Donations can be made at the Red Cross Offices in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, and East London. The Eastern Cape government has also called on those who can assist to drop off any donations at government buildings in the province. Meanwhile, the Black Coffee Foundation is also on the ground, requesting items such as non-perishable food, toiletries, blankets, and warm clothing. The South African Red Cross Society has also mobilized emergency response teams to the area, and the Gift of the Givers Foundation has also urged people to donate to its bank accounts.
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