The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has confirmed that 18 people have died across South Africa following severe weather conditions that have brought widespread heavy rain, flooding, thunderstorms and strong winds since 4 May.
The Western Cape has been the worst affected province, accounting for 11 fatalities. This is followed by the Northern Cape with three deaths, the Free State with two, and one death each recorded in the North West and Mpumalanga.
A national disaster has been declared across six provinces — Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Mpumalanga — as emergency services continue mop-up operations amid extensive damage to homes, flooded roads and disrupted essential services.
COGTA spokesperson Pearl Maseko-Binqose said disaster management teams and humanitarian partners remain deployed on the ground, working alongside provincial and local authorities to support affected communities and restore essential services.
The severe weather has displaced thousands of people, particularly in informal settlements, with nearly 90,000 residents affected in the Western Cape alone, according to earlier provincial estimates.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers says its relief operations will continue for several weeks, providing hot meals, blankets, hygiene packs and baby-care parcels to affected communities, including hard-to-reach informal settlements in the Cape metro and surrounding areas.
The Cape Winelands, Breede Valley and City of Cape Town are among the worst-affected regions, where residents continue to face road closures, power outages and widespread flooding.
Authorities have urged the public to remain cautious as recovery efforts continue, to avoid flood-prone areas, and to report incidents to local disaster management centres.