Overview

• Rescue efforts led by the Eastern Cape Department of Health in partnership with the South African National Defence Force are searching for 13 missing people through flooded towns.
• A minibus carrying 13 schoolchildren and three adults was swept away in Mthatha, and rescue teams managed to pull three children from trees along the riverbank.
• Six bodies were recovered near Decoligny village and a seventh was found in Tsolo by the Bedlana River.
• More than 500 families have lost their homes to floodwaters and are receiving emergency supplies such as food, blankets and mattresses.
• The South African Weather Service has placed OR Tambo District under a Level 9 Orange Alert as authorities brace for further heavy rain and storm damage.