Devastating floods across southern Africa have claimed more than 200 lives and displaced over half a million people, with South Africa's iconic Kruger National Park suffering catastrophic damage. The South African government confirmed on Wednesday that 15 camps within the park remain closed, with some areas completely inaccessible due to destroyed roads and bridges.
The flooding, triggered by weeks of torrential rainfall linked to the La Nina weather phenomenon, has ravaged Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe since mid-December. Mozambique has been the hardest hit, with 103 fatalities and more than 327,000 people displaced in Gaza province alone. Authorities report that approximately 40 percent of the province has been submerged by floodwater, with hundreds of thousands sheltering in temporary facilities such as schools and churches.
In South Africa, Environmental Minister Willie Aucamp announced that damage to Kruger National Park infrastructure is widespread, affecting bridges, roads, water systems, electrical networks, and tourist accommodations. The park, which generates close to 80 percent of SANParks' operating budget, recorded a 41 percent decline in visitor entries between January 9-19 compared to the previous year. The southern and northern areas of the park remain completely cut off from each other.
Zimbabwe's disaster management agency reported 70 deaths and more than 1,000 homes destroyed, while infrastructure including schools, roads, and bridges has collapsed across the country. South Africa declared a national disaster on Sunday after flooding in the northern provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga killed at least 37 people, with President Cyril Ramaphosa visiting affected areas where some regions received over 400 millimeters of rain in less than a week.
SANParks estimates that damage to Kruger National Park alone could run into hundreds of millions of Rands, compounding losses from a previous 2023 flood that the park was still recovering from. The organization has launched the Kruger Recovery Fund to accept donations for reconstruction efforts. Despite the widespread destruction, no lives were lost within the park boundaries, though the sustainability of South Africa's entire national parks network is now at risk due to the loss of tourism revenue from its flagship destination.
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