Kruger National Park grapples with flood aftermath as rangers monitor impact on roads and bridges

Flooding at Kruger National Park on Saturday, 12 January 2025. (Photo: Latest Sightings / Renata Kretzmann)

13 Jan 2025

Heavy rains driven by a tropical low-pressure system over Botswana last weekend caused significant disruptions and flooding in the Kruger National Park, leading to the closure of some camps and gravel roads south of the Olifants River.

On Thursday, 16 January 2025, SANParks spokesperson Isaac Phaahla said that assessments were ongoing, but that it was safe to say that most roads were open, except for the collapsed main road between Skukuza and Lower Sabie. Phaahla advised that the alternative was to use the Tshokwane route to get to Lower Sabie.

The SANParks disaster management team activated the disaster management protocols and dispatched teams to specific areas to monitor, close off and guide tourists.

“There were no injuries or fatalities reported, which is a relief, considering the number of vehicles and visitors in the park at that stage. The public needs to be applauded for adhering to the warnings and being patient and cooperative,” Phaahla said.

Phaahla added that the affected bush camps did not have many guests except one, and those checking in were diverted to alternative safer camps.

As the animals instinctively move to higher grounds, Phaahla said there have been no reported incidents involving wildlife that require intervention due to the flooding.

The estimated timeline for completing damage assessments and determining the full cost of repairs was dependent on the weather conditions and how soon the water subsides, but Phahla said that teams have already begun mopping up.

SANParks activated disaster management protocols and teams continue to monitor conditions in the wake of flooding in the Kruger National Park this weekend. This comes after several gravel roads, and some camps were closed. Some park guests were moved from their camps as a precautionary measure.

flooding kruger Flooding at Kruger National Park began on Sunday, 12 January 2024, leading to the closure of several roads and bridges. (Photo: Latest Sightings / Peter Pienaar)

SANParks said that the flooding was largely localised to the south of the Olifants River and that water flow forecasts suggested that the Sabie and Sand Rivers would be inundated with heavy flows for some time.

This followed disruptive rainfall with widespread showers over Limpopo and Mpumalanga during the weekend and on Monday, 13 January 2025 in Kruger Park after an advisory was sent out by the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

To date, there have been no reports of casualties or damage to personal property. However, SANParks strongly advised road users to be extra vigilant and cautious when crossing low-level bridges and not to leave their vehicles to clear debris.

Nadav Ossendryver, founder of Latest Sightings, an online platform for real-time wildlife sightings in national parks, said they began receiving reports of flooding on Saturday, 11 January, with heavy rains causing significant damage, including destroyed bridges and closed roads.

Ossendryver said their first report of flooding was from a Latest Sightings member and an alert was sent out to the Kruger community to submit any photos and videos of the destruction so that people could assess the damage, whether any roads were closed, and if any camps had been affected.

flooding kruger Flooding at Kruger National Park on Sunday, 12 January 2025. (Photo: Latest Sightings / Renata Kretzmann)

After this, Ossendryver said reports poured in. He said that “every little drainage line is now a river, according to one of the safari guides. A lot of the bridges have been destroyed.”

Ossendryver told Daily Maverick that they saw flooding in this area every year, usually in January and February, but not always as bad as it was over the past weekend.

“The whole of last year was quite dry, the bush was quite clear, and so sightings were good. Then in December [2024] it started raining, and the rain just continued,” he said.

Tropical low-pressure system

Limpopo and Mpumalanga are not particularly wet regions, but do receive most of their rainfall in summer, especially if there is a tropical weather system like a continental tropical low-pressure system – which was what occurred this weekend.

SAWS meteorologist and weather forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela told Daily Maverick that a tropical low-pressure system was situated over the northern parts of Botswana, feeding the northern provinces with enough water vapour for cloud development and rainfall.

“Limpopo and Mpumalanga usually receive most of their rainfall in summer. Considering that the seasonal forecast was suggesting a weak La Nina season, above-normal rainfall was expected over the central and eastern parts of the country.”

In addition, Thobela said there was also a high-pressure system ridging in from the east, allowing a conducive environment for rainfall production.

kruger park Flooding at Kruger National Park on Sunday, 12 January 2025. (Photo: Suzette Engelbrecht Cronje)

A single period of prolonged rainfall cannot be directly attributed to climate change, but Thobela said that there was some form of climate change and climate variability influence in how frequently South Africa is getting extreme weather conditions over the central and eastern regions of the country.

Isaac Phahla, Kruger National Park communications and marketing manager, said that the rains appeared normal for this time of the year, but other areas had received more than the 10-year average rainfall.

Areas affected, damage

According to Phahla, the area most affected by the recent flooding was south of the Olifants River. Gravel roads and low-lying bridges were currently being monitored by the SANParks technical team and others were closed periodically to avoid any disasters.

In a statement on Monday, 13 January, SANParks advised that some main roads between Skukuza and Lower Sabie were damaged, but Kruger Park roads management teams moved promptly to ensure the safety of visitors.

SANParks said the rain had also been heavy in the north with the Luvuvhu River at its highest level this season.

In terms of damage, Phahla said, “The Lower Sabie/Skukuza road is being temporarily repaired after it partly collapsed to enable visitors to move between the two rest camps; Talamati and Biyamiti bush camps are closed as a precautionary measure.”

When asked about evacuations and safety incidents involving visitors due to the flooding, Phahla said that guests from the Biyamiti bush camp had been moved as a safety measure.

He said proper assessments would be done once the water had subsided. However, all gates were open.

kruger park flooding Flooding at Kruger National Park on Sunday, 12 January 2025. (Photo: Latest Sightings / Renata Kretzmann)

By Sunday, Ossendryver said that the weather had started to taper off and that the river levels were dropping slightly, but that there were still reports of closed roads, bridges and camps.

“A few years ago, there was a bridge completely destroyed on the park’s busiest road, the H4-1, and that still hasn’t been fixed… Now on that same road, in a different spot, a new bridge has been destroyed – the Alpha Bridge,” Ossendryver said.

He said Kruger Park was good at creating detours when these incidents occurred because the road that was heavily impacted was one of the busiest roads between the busiest camps, so it needed to be available.

Phahla told Daily Maverick that “currently, SANParks disaster management is coping, but will call for assistance when the need arises.”

Wildlife move to higher ground

Fortunately, there have been no reports of wildlife being affected in the Kruger flooding, and the animals could be seen moving to higher ground on the Latest Sightings reports.

Ossendryver said that “they have a way of knowing when these things happen and they go to higher ground. The tortoises come out. They all move away from the rivers and they survive. I

“I’m sure there’ll be some animals which don’t and maybe get caught up, but I don’t think it’s a lot. The hippos and the animals that rely on water love it when there’s flooding. Hippos become super aggressive in the drought season because they’re always fighting over water. So now they are super happy,” Ossendryver said.

SANParks said the disaster management team would update information periodically to enable visitors and tourists to plan their trips accordingly and called for those with internet access to look out for the latest updates on road conditions in the south of the park.

Tourists with confirmed camp bookings were advised by SANParks to check their accessibility with the various camps or contact the emergency call centre on 013 735-4325. DM

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South Africa

Tropical low-pressure system

Areas affected, damage

Wildlife move to higher ground