More Than 30 Children Dead in Eastern Cape Floods as Death Toll Rises

• Dozens of children were among those lives lost during the devastating Eastern Cape floods
• The floods battered the province in areas, including Mthatha were badly affected by the downpour
• Thousands were left homeless, and the government declared the floods a national disaster

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a journalist at Briefly News in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

EASTERN CAPE — Scores of children lost their lives as the death toll of those who died in the Eastern Cape floods increased.

How many children died in the floods?

According to The South African, 32 children were among those who died in the floods. The death toll rose to 103 as rescuers located the bodies of flood victims. Recovery operations continue in areas badly affected by the floods.

Many communities remain displaced and without basic services like water, food, and electricity. About 98 bodies were identified. The government revealed that about 6000 people were left homeless.

Terrible weather continues

The country continues to experience horrific and damaging weather. Two cold fronts made landfall in the Western Cape on 3 July 2025, with a third expected to bring cold conditions and a severe drop in temperatures.

The Western Cape has been affected by the heavy rainfall. Parts of Cape Town experienced flooding, and dozens of people were left homeless when floods wrecked informal settlements.

Impact of the Eastern Cape floods

Parts of the country, including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, experienced cold weather and heavy rainfall from 7 June. The Eastern Cape was the worst hit as inclement weather, accompanied by damaging winds, struck the province. Scores of people lost their lives as a result of the floods.

What you need to know about the floods

• The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs declared the floods a national disaster on 12 June after the death toll rose to 67
• The death toll rose to 86 two days later as more people were reported missing. The president, Cyril Ramaphosa, called for a day of mourning
• The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, said the government is considering giving flood victims a R12,000 grant to assist in rebuilding homes destroyed by the floods
• A rescuer opened up about the challenges in finding the bodies of those who died as the death toll rose to 100
• President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the areas most affected by the floods and offered his condolences to the affected areas, asking them to be patient

Government assists flood victims with identity documents

In a related article, Briefly News reported that different government departments visited the flood-torn areas of the Eastern Cape to assist. These included the departments of Home Affairs, Social Development, and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The Department of Home Affairs assisted victims who lost their identity documents and birth certificates. The department deployed a mobile Home Affairs office and expedited the application processes of those who lost their documents.

Source: Briefly News