Flooding in Southern Africa Displaces Hundreds of Thousands; 100+ Dead

Hundreds of thousands of people across southern Africa have been displaced by heavy rains and flooding, and more than 100 deaths have been confirmed across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, reporters Zimasa Matiwane and Nazaneen Ghaffar said in a Jan. 29, 2026, report. Mozambique, the hardest-hit country, suffered damage to infrastructure that has cut off communities from critical services and disrupted the distribution of vital supplies, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction said.

Relief organizations reported shortages of shelter, water, sanitation, food and health services in the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambézia. Guy Taylor, a spokesman in Mozambique for UNICEF, warned that lack of access to clean water and sanitation posed a serious risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and an increased threat of malaria.

He said that about four in 10 Mozambican children suffered from chronic malnutrition before the crisis and that waterborne illness can be deadly for malnourished children. Rescue workers in Mozambique said this bout of flooding was the worst the country had experienced since 2000.

The Southern African Development Community has deployed emergency response teams to the hardest-hit areas, and the United Nations and the European Union have donated health equipment, tents, hygiene items, nutrition supplies and educational materials.

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