CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa declared a national disaster Sunday over torrential rains and floods that have killed at least 30 people in the country’s north, damaged thousands of homes and washed away roads and bridges.
The declaration, made by the head of the National Disaster Management Center, allows the government to coordinate the disaster response.
The worst toll is in the northern provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where the fatalities occurred. At least three other provinces were affected by the severe weather, said the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Parts of South Africa and neighboring Mozambique and Zimbabwe have experienced heavy rains for weeks. That resulted in severe flooding in central and southern Mozambique and northern South Africa. More than 100 people have died in the three countries since the rains began late last year.
The floods in northern South Africa caused the closure of the Kruger National Park and the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and staff members from flooded camps to other parts of the park.
The premier of Limpopo province said the weather had caused around $240 million in damage in her province, with many houses and buildings washed away.
More than 100 people died in floods last year in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province in the south of the country, while more than 400 died in flooding in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal in 2022.
Rescue teams in South Africa continued to search for four people, including 5-year-old Siyanda Baloyi, believed to have been swept away when his home in Limpopo was flooded Thursday.
Authorities also said Sunday that Andile Mngwevu, a government official in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg, was missing after a vehicle he was traveling in was swept away by floods in Mozambique. The other passengers in the vehicle were also missing.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park was set to reopen for visitors after heavy flooding forced its closure and prompted the evacuation of more than 300 tourists and staff members.
The park, one the biggest game reserves in the world, covering about 7.7 square miles bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe, suffered extensive damage as heavy rain devastated the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces and killed more than 20 people.
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