Tragedy Caused by Mthatha Floods: 22-Year-Old Talita Qhinga Clings to Life After Devastating Floods Sweep Away Family Members
In the early hours of a cold Tuesday morning, 22-year-old Talita Qhinga clung to a tree for 11 agonising hours as the Mthatha floods ravaged Slovo Park, a community near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. With a death toll that has now climbed to at least 92 people, and many more still missing, the Mthatha floods have become one of South Africa’s deadliest natural disasters in recent memory.
What makes Qhinga’s story especially gut-wrenching is not just her survival — but the helplessness of watching her family being swept away in the chaos, knowing there was nothing she could do.
A Night of Horror in Slovo Park
“It happened so fast. One moment, we were asleep — the next, the bed was floating,” said Qhinga in a tearful interview. It was just after 05:00 on that fateful Tuesday when she noticed the water rising. She used her cellphone’s torch to see through the winter darkness, only to discover the family home being swallowed by the raging Mthatha River.
Her niece Esethu, just 14, went to alert her parents. Then the current hit. Talita tried to save her 50-year-old mother Nomthandazo, but the torrent proved too powerful. In seconds, the water claimed her mother, cousin Nonkoliseko (40), and niece. Her 7-year-old nephew Lukhanyo is still missing.
The water carried Qhinga for nearly 4 km before she managed to cling to a tree near Highbury Primary School, where she remained stranded, cold and terrified, until police divers rescued her around 16:00.
RELATED: Eastern Cape Floods Death Toll Rises to 49, Confirms Premier Mabuyane
Grief, Loss, and Unimaginable Trauma
Talita’s story is one of many. Asongezwa Ntlabathi, 25, from Decoligny village, lost five family members, including her mother, grandmother, and two nephews aged 6 and 8. Her 11-year-old nephew remains missing.
“We are still searching for him. Every morning, I go to the mortuary. Every afternoon, I’m still there. I don’t know how many times I’ve been there,” she said.
Phumeza Papana, also from Slovo Park, lost her daughter Neliswa, 23. “She died calling for help. I found her body myself,” she said, her voice shaking.
Billions in Damage, Thousands Displaced
According to Finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko, acting in place of Premier Oscar Mabuyane, the total damage from the floods is estimated at R4 billion. The scale is staggering:
- 4 229 homes destroyed,
- 413 schools damaged, affecting 48 341 pupils,
- Thousands displaced, with roads, bridges, hospitals and water systems severely impacted.
Mvoko said the provincial government plans to relocate communities living dangerously close to riverbanks, acknowledging the failures in flood-line planning.
A Province in Mourning
In a solemn ceremony held at King Sabata Dalindyebo TVET College, the Eastern Cape government observed a Provincial Day of Mourning. While some families found solace in communal grieving, many remain trapped in the limbo of uncertainty — their loved ones still lost in the muddy waters of the Mthatha River.
Qhinga, recovering in hospital, remains heartbroken: “Esethu wanted to study medicine. She had dreams. The only closure for me now is finding Lukhanyo.”
Also read: Eastern Cape Floods: Death Toll Rises to 78 as Ramaphosa Plans Visit to Hard-Hit Districts
