Chaos in Kruger National Park! Giant Flooding Swept Away Homes, Cars in Limpopo

Chaos in Kruger National Park! Giant Flooding Swept Away Homes, Cars in Limpopo

As a storm from Mozambique continued to drench parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga this week, pilots, conservation workers and residents in and around Hoedspruit, Limpopo, were watching river levels like hawks. On Monday, a South African National Parks (SANParks) advisory said some roads and gates in Kruger National Park had been closed. In northern sections of the park, gates at Pafuri and Punda Maria were inaccessible, “meaning the only access to the northern region of the park is via Phalaborwa Gate”. In the south of the park, Crocodile Bridge was being monitored while some roads were also shut. “SANParks is actively contacting all guests with imminent arrivals to Kruger National Park to reschedule their visits,” the advisory said. Eastgate Airport, the main air hub serving the safari capital, was closed for business on Tuesday “due to weather”, an airport spokesperson told Daily Maverick. In the 24 hours to 8am, Tuesday, alone, some Saws stations in the greater Kruger region had tracked more than 150mm of rain. The Tshakhuma station to the west of northern Kruger had recorded 176mm. Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport in greater Kruger’s southern reaches had clocked far less at 18mm. Saws issued Orange Level 9 warnings for eastern Limpopo and the Mpumalanga Lowveld and escarpment on Wednesday. Orange Level 6 was expected over central Limpopo. Pupils in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, will have to wait until next week to kick off their 2026 academic year because of the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the province since the weekend. The Vhembe and Mopane districts have been severely affected by the floods, with most schools in the area reportedly inaccessible.