The Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr Elias Sithole, has classified the recent severe weather events affecting several provinces as a national disaster in terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002).
The classification follows widespread severe weather conditions experienced from 4 May 2026, including heavy rainfall, flooding, thunderstorms, damaging winds and snowfall across the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.
The classification of this disaster will enable government to intensify coordination and strengthen ongoing response and recovery efforts across all spheres of government.
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Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs