{"id":859998,"date":"2026-05-11T08:17:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T06:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=859998"},"modified":"2026-05-11T08:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T06:29:17","slug":"national-disaster-for-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/859998\/national-disaster-for-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"National disaster for South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A national disaster has been announced due to severe weather affecting several provinces across South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Disaster Management Centre officially classified<\/strong><\/a> the severe weather event as a National Disaster following days of relentless and severe rainfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 4 May, flooding, thunderstorms, damaging winds and snowfall have hit large parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Mpumalanga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Bongani Elias Sithole, said the scale and severity of the weather system forced authorities to escalate the response to a national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sithole said the decision followed consultations with various organs of state and provincial disaster management centres after assessing the \u201cmagnitude and severity\u201d of the disaster affecting the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The declaration means government structures across all spheres are now intensifying coordinated disaster response, relief and recovery operations to assist affected communities and restore damaged infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding will be directed towards infrastructure repairs and recovery efforts, although access to the funds remains subject to strict processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These include damage assessments, verification processes, National Treasury approvals, formal motivation submissions from municipalities and provinces, and the availability of disaster relief grants or reprioritised government funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Western Cape, particularly the Garden Route region, has emerged as one of the worst-hit areas as heavy rain and flooding continue to wreak havoc across towns and transport routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South African Weather Service has issued another level 8 severe storm warning ahead of a powerful cold front expected to hit the Western Cape between Sunday, 10 May, and Tuesday, 12 May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the weather service, the warning signals the likelihood of disruptive rainfall, strong winds and damaging waves, with the Western Cape expected to bear the brunt of the storm system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Southern parts of the Northern Cape are also expected to experience severe weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency services remain on high alert <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Authorities warned that the heavy rainfall could result in widespread flooding of roads, homes and settlements, including both formal and informal residential areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dangerous driving conditions and major disruptions along key transport routes are also expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerhard Otto, Head of Disaster Management in the Garden Route, said the region is experiencing its worst flooding in 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 45 roads have reportedly been closed, with several communities cut off due to flooding and storm damage. Authorities said road closure updates will continue as damage assessments and clearance operations progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the affected routes is the R328 leading to the Cango Caves, which has been closed because of rockfalls triggered by the severe weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact of the storms is also continuing to be felt in the Eastern Cape, where parts of Nelson Mandela Bay remain without stable water and electricity services days after severe flooding damaged infrastructure in the metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents in several areas are still dealing with low water pressure, intermittent water supply and ongoing electricity outages as municipal teams attempt to stabilise services and repair storm-related damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The national disaster declaration comes as authorities brace for further severe weather conditions this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency services and disaster management teams are remaining on high alert as the latest cold front moves across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fifth disaster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There have now been five national disasters classified since November 2025. The other four include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n