SANDF helicopter conducts aerial rescue in flood-stricken Limpopo village. Picture Credit: Facebook
By Aisha Zardad
Limpopo – South African National Defence Force (SANDF) helicopters were deployed overnight to rescue hundreds of people cut off by severe flooding in Limpopo, as relentless rains continue to batter the province.
Heavy rainfall over the past fortnight has caused rivers to overflow and roads to disappear beneath rising waters, leaving communities isolated. In response, search-and-rescue teams from the South African Air Force’s 17 and 19 squadrons were activated by the Air Force Command Post. “To this end, three helicopters from bases in Pretoria and Hoedspruit, were deployed to conduct rescue operations in flood-affected regions,” the SANDF said.
The operation, which began late on January 14 and continued into the early hours of January 15, saw crews brave severe weather to reach stranded families. In one dramatic mission, rescuers assisted a family from Mbaula Village near Giyani, while others were brought down from treetops along the swollen Olifants River. An ORYX helicopter also evacuated members of the Border Management Authority and South African Police Service from around Phafuri Port of Entry.
At Khambaku Lodge, outside Phalaborwa, an Agusta A109 helicopter hoisted 18 people to safety. Those in need of medical care were transported to Maphutha Hospital.
Limpopo MEC for Cooperative Governance, Basikopo Makamu, confirmed the province’s first weather-related death: a four-year-old child swept away before rescuers could arrive. “One death is too many, we urge communities to be extra vigilant,” Makamu said.
With the South African Weather Service issuing a red Level 10 alert for continued downpours, provincial authorities are urging residents to avoid flooded roads and adhere to safety directives as the crisis unfolds.
