Humanitarian relief group Gift of the Givers has expanded its operation in Limpopo after severe flooding damaged more than 1,600 homes, many of them destroyed or submerged, and raised the death toll to 11.

The organisation said on Saturday that widespread damage to national and provincial roads had made it difficult to reach some communities, with multiple routes in the Lowveld affected.

It said the R71 and R40 near Phalaborwa remained closed and sections of the R524 between Louis Trichardt and Punda Maria via Thohoyandou had been washed away, forcing longer detours for aid convoys.

“Teams currently deployed in Phalaborwa have already assisted 1,000 flood-affected residents with instant cooked meals. Additional resources and teams have been mobilised from Mpumalanga, where Gift of the Givers previously assisted 800 households across four districts impacted by flooding,” said the organisation.

The national Department of Human Settlements said on Saturday it had deployed its Emergency Housing Unit to Limpopo and Mpumalanga to verify damage and determine emergency shelter interventions.

The South African Weather Service issued a Red Level 10 alert for disruptive rainfall over parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga this week, warning of localised flooding that could pose a danger to lives, disrupt road traffic and damage homes and critical infrastructure.

Limpopo’s provincial government has deployed a multi-disciplinary team to assist with rescue efforts, debris removal and restoring essential services.

Flooding has also disrupted operations around the Kruger National Park, where authorities have temporarily closed access and carried out evacuations after rivers overflowed in the region.

Gift of the Givers asked for donations of bottled water because some treatment plants had been damaged or contaminated by floodwaters.

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