South Africa: ‘Water like thunder’ – Riverlands reels after four dam bursts in two weeks

‘The water was like thunder. My sister and her five-year-old son were taken by the water down the road with the stream until the train rail and they grabbed the train line… It’s a very long distance.

“They were taken to the hospital. The five-year-old had a bit of water in his lungs. He was monitored and my sister was badly scratched, bruised and was booked off work,” says Runita Swarts (44) of the floods on 8 August 2024 in Riverlands.