South Africa: 'We Are Trapped' - Floodwaters Swallow Villages As Flooding, Heavy Rain Batter Limpopo

By Lerato Mutsila

Relentless rains spilling over from Mozambique have submerged villages across Limpopo and Mpumalanga, sweeping away homes, cutting off roads and leaving communities isolated and desperate.

Over the past five days, areas in Limpopo and Mpumalanga have been battered by incessant rain as a storm that first started over Mozambique quickly travelled into the border provinces, causing flooding that has submerged entire villages in murky brown water and damaged roads, bridges and critical infrastructure.

The floods have had devastating consequences for communities that live in areas close to the Mozambican border. At least two children have died, and homes have been swept away as communities contend with the unrelenting rains, which are projected to continue well into the weekend.

The Greater Giyani Municipality is one of these regions where the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force have had to rescue community members who were trapped or swept away by the rising waters.

A desperate search is currently under way for a five-year-old boy, Siyanda Boloyi, who was reported missing early on Thursday, 15 January, in Mbaula Village outside Giyani.

Authorities are racing against time, braving perilous conditions, to locate the boy, who was swept away when he and his mother attempted to flee their home as it was engulfed in water.

According to SAPS Limpopo spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, the...

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