By Bev Mortimer: Yesterday’s rain (4 June 2026) added more water to the already swollen Eastern Cape’s Kromme and Gamtoos river systems, but there were no widespread catastrophic damages as experienced in May, last month.
It’s been another anxious 24 hours for people living near rivers, but so far the damage has been limited to road disruptions and precautionary evacuations.
The heavy downpours, combined with dams already full from last month, caused rivers to rise quickly and forced precautionary action.
The SABC News reported more than 100 residents were evacuated from flood-prone areas in the Kouga region. Many of them came from low-lying river areas along the Gamtoos River, as well as informal settlements where shacks were flooded or washed away. Some families in formal homes were also affected and relocated to community halls for safety.
Mayor Hattingh Bornman, in an SABC interview said evacuation orders for the Gamtoos River low-lying zones were issued the previous afternoon and evening. KM notices also ‘flooded’ groups during the pm to warn residents along the Kromme River to evacuate immediately and not to wait for conditions to worsen.
A small number of residents, about 20 according to reports, initially refused to leave. Disaster management teams though continued to monitor and assist those who needed help. The Kouga Municipality and mayor also warned residents on the Kromme river yesterday afternoon. He urged them to evacuate to the St Francis Bay community hall.
The Impofu Dam was already overflowing at around 100.6% on 3 June, and the Kouga and Beervlei dams, and were spilling over. With the catchment still saturated from May’s floods, new rain ran straight off into the rivers.
This was compounded by high tides backing up from the sea, which made things worse by slowing the outflow. (SAWS had in advance warned of the ‘Orange Level 8 disruptive rain warnings’).
Road-wise, conditions yesterday were difficult to navigate in places as many motorists had to make lengthy detours and avoid many potholes.
The R331 Patensie low-water bridge was closed once again. Paradise Beach Causeway was out, and there was localised flooding and rockfalls reported in the Gamtoos Valley, Kruisfontein, and parts of Humansdorp.
Motorists were advised to avoid flooded crossings and use alternative routes. The Kouga Bridge remained under close watch.
As of today, 5 June, disaster management teams and NSRI St Francis Bay are still actively monitoring the situation. Because of the lag in these river systems, water from upstream is still making its way down to the sea, so levels in the lower Kromme and Gamtoos could rise further over the next day or two.
St Francis Chronicle 