“How Can We Donate?”: Western Cape Family Loses Everything As Submerged Home Leaves Mzansi in Tears

A heartbreaking Facebook photo of a Bonnievale home fully swallowed by floodwaters left South Africans devastated on 16 May 2026. Martha van der Westhuizen shared the image of Stefan and Santie Korf’s property, confirming the couple lost absolutely everything in the Western Cape storms.

The catastrophic flooding that hit the Western Cape on 11 and 12 May 2026 triggered a disaster of historic proportions. A level 8 weather warning was issued as two cold fronts battered the province back to back. The storms killed 10 people, displaced thousands of families, and damaged over 31,000 structures across 67 informal settlements in Cape Town alone.

A community rallies behind the Korfs

The Breede River, which flows near Bonnievale in the Cape Winelands, peaked at a staggering 1,989 cubic metres per second at one point. The destruction stretched across the entire province, from Khayelitsha to Wolseley and deep into the Winelands, where more than 2,000 people were displaced.

Read also

Over 150,000 Western Cape residents left homeless after devastating flood ravages province

For Stefan and Santie Korf, the damage was total. Their home disappeared beneath the rising floodwaters, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The Facebook post struck a deep nerve across Mzansi, with thousands of South Africans pouring out messages of support.

A Back-a-Buddy fundraising campaign was launched on 15 May 2026. The target is set at R50,000 to help the Korfs rebuild their lives from scratch. Within just three days of launching, the campaign had already raised R10,688, with donations still coming in.

See the post below:

Source: Briefly News