Southern Africa Floods: Over 100 Dead, Crocodile Attacks and Health Risks Mount. Johannesburg, South Africa — 2026-01-26 Lead Paragraph: Devastating floods in southern Africa have killed over 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands since the start of the year, with authorities and aid workers issuing warnings about the spread of disease and the threat of crocodile attacks.
The floods, which have been exacerbated by increasingly extreme weather patterns, have hit South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe particularly hard.
In Zimbabwe, more than 70 people have lost their lives, while South Africreports 30 fatalities. South African authorities had to evacuate hundreds of people from Kruger National Park earlier this month due to heavy rains.
In Mozambique, the national disaster management agency reports a death toll of 13, including three who were killed by crocodiles as the Limpopo River and other waterways overflowed.
Henriques Bongece, the secretary of Mozambique’s Maputo province, warned the public about the presence of crocodiles in floodwaters. “We want to urge everyone not to approach still waters because crocodiles are drifting in these waters.
The rivers have connected with all areas where there is water,” Bongece said as quoted by local media.
Southern Africa has experienced increasingly extreme weather events in recent years, with the climate crisis exacerbating the impact of heavy rainfall, cyclones, and droughts.
The situation in Mozambique is expected to worsen, with officials describing the flooding as the worst since 2000, when about 700 people were killed. Almost 400,000 people have been displaced, and aid workers warn of the risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases in camps housing nearly 100,000 people.
Gaspar Sitefane, the director of WaterAid Mozambique, expressed concern about the camps’lack of basic infrastructure, predicting an increase in cholera cases.
In South Africa, the government has set up a recovery fund for Kruger National Park and is seeking donations from national and international donors.
The environment minister, Willie Aucamp, told local media that repairs to damaged infrastructure could cost as much as 700 million rand (approximately £32 million).
The situation in southern Africa remains critical, with hundreds of thousands of people affected and the risk of further loss of life and disease on the rise. Further details are expected as the situation develops.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
