By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The national Department of Human Settlements (DHS) has dispatched an emergency housing team to Limpopo and Mpumalanga as flood damage continues to displace hundreds of families.
Over the past week, both provinces experienced intense rainfall, resulting in significant damage to property and infrastructure.
Minister Thembi Simelane has directed the department’s emergency housing unit to work with provincial authorities, conducting physical verification of households affected by floods.
The floods have caused widespread destruction across the Mopani and Vhembe districts in Limpopo, washing away homes, bridges, and roads.
In total, 439 roads and more than 1 600 houses have been damaged.
At least 31 schools have been damaged, with more than 1 400 schools temporarily closed, and seven hospitals and 19 clinics, particularly in Mopani, have also been affected.
Other areas of the province have also experienced widespread destruction, with damage assessments still ongoing.
The Limpopo provincial government says 439 roads have been damaged, with repair costs estimated at R1.7 billion, while damage assessments are still ongoing.
Simelane said teams from the national department, working alongside provincial authorities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, are conducting physical verification of all households impacted by the recent heavy rains.
“The verification process will determine the extent of the damage and guide the appropriate emergency housing interventions to assist affected families,” she said.
Verification is also underway in Ehlanzeni and Gert Sibande District Municipalities in Mpumalanga.
“Preliminary findings indicate that four households will require relocation due to residing below the flood line [in Ehlanzeni],” added Simelane.
The deployment comes as the South African Weather Service issued its highest impact-based warning level for disruptive rain in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga this week, warning of widespread flooding that could endanger lives, displace communities and damage infrastructure.