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…

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) has issued a stark warning that South Africa’s public healthcare system is facing sustained and severe pressure, driven by long-standing budget constraints, critical staff shortages and ageing infrastructure that continue to undermine service delivery in hospitals and clinics nationwide. According to the union, many public health facilities are now operating well beyond their designed capacity. In some cases, individual doctors are reportedly responsible for more than 1,000 patients, a situation NEHAWU…

Emergency teams are racing to deliver food and restore water supply to communities devastated by recent storms in the Western Cape, where the death toll has risen to 11. Heavy rains and damaging winds caused widespread flooding and destruction across several parts of the province, leaving roads damaged, infrastructure destroyed and some communities completely cut off. The Provincial Disaster Management Centre says relief operations are under way in the hardest-hit areas as officials work to assist displaced residents and restore…