The Human Cost of Climate Disasters

Assessing the impact of KwaZulu-Natal’s (Republic of South Africa) floods from 2022 to 2025 — and what it reveals about climate change resilience, justice, and state preparedness. 

Special Report Written By Bhekisisa Mncube

Key Takeaways

• Over 500 lives were lost in the KwaZulu-Natal floods between 2022 and 2025.
• Major infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, including bridges, roads, and water systems.
• Tens of thousands were displaced, with informal settlements being the most affected.
• Mental health impacts continue to persist among survivors, particularly women and youth.
• Recovery and rebuilding efforts remain uneven across the province.
• Government and community responses are improving, but gaps in resilience still exist.

Part One:

As climate change drives an increase in extreme weather events, the human toll of climate disasters is painfully evident. We must evaluate the costs, learn, unlearn, and integrate climate resilience into policymaking and infrastructure repair, which are critical focus areas. In South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, a series of initiatives aims to address these needs. Catastrophic floods from 2022 to 2025 have left devastation in their wake – resulting in lost lives, displaced families, destroyed infrastructure, and crippled economies.

Centred around the city of Durban (within eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality), these floods underscore how climate-fueled disasters inflict deep social and economic wounds. This article examines the social and financial consequences of KwaZulu-Natal's recent floods (from 2022-2025), including displacement, health risks, infrastructure damage, death tolls, and economic losses. It also reviews government responses at all levels and efforts to rebuild with climate resilience in mind. 

KwaZulu-Natal’s Recurring Flood Disasters (2022–2025)

KwaZulu-Natal has endured several flood disasters in quick succession, with the April 2022 floods standing out as the most devastating in living memory​ . In 24 hours on 11–12 April 2022, parts of the province were deluged by more than 300 mm of rain, an event with an estimated return period of 1-in-100 years​

The torrential downpour triggered flash floods and mudslides that tore through densely populated areas. By the end of April 2022, approximately 459 people had lost their lives in the province, and 88 were still missing, making it the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded in KwaZulu-Natal. ​

The human tragedy was immense: entire families were swept away as floodwaters obliterated informal settlements and riverside communities. The coastal city of Durban and its surrounding areas were hardest hit, accounting for the majority of the fatalities.​

The destruction of homes was likewise unprecedented. More than 4,000 houses were destroyed outright in the April 2022 disaster. A total of 19,113 households, with 128,743 people, were affected by the disaster. 

In some districts, entire hillsides of informal dwellings collapsed under the deluge. By mid-April, authorities estimated that more than 40,000 people had been displaced by the floods​ and were forced to flee to emergency shelters in community halls, churches, and schools. Critical infrastructure was devastated, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national state of disaster on 19 April, 2022.

Research from the University of the Witwatersrand later confirmed that the April 2022 Durban floods were the most catastrophic on record in terms of lives lost, infrastructure destroyed, and economic impact​.

Between December 2023 and January 2024, KwaZulu-Natal experienced severe weather events, leading to significant loss of life and displacement. On Christmas Day 2023, heavy rains caused flash floods in Ladysmith, resulting in at least 21 fatalities and the destruction of approximately 1,400 homes. The adverse weather persisted into early 2024; by 2 January, the death toll had risen to 22, with 13 individuals still missing. These events highlight the escalating impact of climate-induced disasters in the region.​

In June 2024, another bout of severe flooding in eThekwini and surrounding districts led to seven fatalities and the evacuation of hundreds of residents from low-lying settlements.​

In summary, over the past three years, KwaZulu-Natal has endured multiple flood disasters that have collectively resulted in more than 500 fatalities and displaced tens of thousands.

Scientists warn that extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent as the climate warms, doubling the likelihood of occurrences like the 2022 floods​. Reuters reported in 2022 that the World Weather Attribution group analysed weather data and digital simulations to compare today's climate with that of the pre-Industrial Revolution era in the late 1800s. "The results showed that an extreme rainfall episode such as this one [the 2022 floods] can now be expected to occur approximately once every 20 years," a study showed. 

Displacement, Health Risks and Trauma

The social consequences of these floods have been profound. The immediate aftermath of the 2022 flooding saw a massive humanitarian crisis. With tens of thousands of survivors displaced from their homes, emergency shelters quickly overflowed. Families who had lost everything found refuge in community centres and tent camps set up by disaster relief teams. However, conditions in many of these temporary accommodations were dire. Amnesty International reported that some hard-hit areas went without clean water for over a month after the floods, leaving residents unable to meet basic sanitation needs.​

In suburbs of Durban like Isipingo, Umlazi and Tongaat, taps ran dry, and sewer systems were broken. Some survivors described having to relieve themselves in bushes due to the lack of functioning toilets​. Such unhygienic conditions raised fears of disease outbreaks. Local clinics treated spikes in diarrhoea and water-borne illnesses as communities struggled with contaminated water. Indeed, more than 66 public healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal were impacted by the floods, disrupting medical services when they were most needed​.

Displaced residents also endured protracted uncertainty about their futures. Many flood victims remained in crowded mass care centres for months, awaiting more permanent housing. By late 2022, temporary accommodation camps (some consisting of hastily erected prefabricated structures or repurposed warehouses) were home to hundreds of families. Yet what was meant to be a short-term shelter dragged on much longer. A year after the disaster, in April 2023, 76 people were still officially missing, and thousands were languishing in transit camps, unable to rebuild their lives.​

Reports emerged of “unbearable” conditions in some of these camps: in one settlement for 2022 flood survivors, shelters had leaking roofs and sewage pooling on the floors, creating a health hazard and a loss of dignity for the occupants​.

By November 2024 – two and a half years after the initial floods – families in these run-down shelters expressed fear that they might even face eviction as authorities struggled to find permanent solutions​. This protracted displacement has torn the social fabric of communities and tested the patience of survivors who feel forgotten.

The psychological toll of the disaster has been enormous. Survivors not only grappled with the loss of homes and loved ones but also with deep trauma. A 2023 study by van Straten and Ncube on the mental and spiritual health of the KZN flood survivors found pervasive feelings of hopelessness, grief and isolation among affected households​.

Many interviewees in the study reported a lack of trust in government authorities as a result of perceived failures in disaster response​. This erosion of trust compounded their trauma – people felt abandoned by those meant to help, intensifying their sense of vulnerability. Humanitarian organisations like Gift of the Givers stepped into the breach, delivering food, water and blankets to flood victims from the first days of the crisis​. While such civil society efforts were a lifeline, they also highlighted the slow pace of official relief. 

In interviews, displaced residents voiced frustration that promised government aid was moving at a “snail’s pace” and that they had to rely on NGOs, charities and private donors for extended periods​. Distraught KwaZulu-Natal communities in the worst flood-damaged areas claimed the slow response from the government led to hope and trust lost, Amnesty International South Africa said.

The psychological impact of the April 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, has been profound, particularly among residents of low-income communities. A study published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health examined the mental health outcomes of 73 women aged 18 to 45 residing in flood-affected, low-income areas of Durban. The research revealed that post-flood, these women experienced increased levels of emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Notably, higher levels of prior trauma exposure and pre-flood food insecurity were associated with more significant post-flood emotional distress and anxiety. The study underscores the need for proactive mental health support in disaster relief efforts, especially for vulnerable populations.​

Education has been another casualty of the disaster. Learning was severely disrupted, with over 600 schools being damaged across KwaZulu-Natal by the April 2022 floods​ . More than 270,000 students could not attend their schools in the weeks following the floods.​

Some school buildings were used as evacuation centres, while others had roads cut off or suffered structural damage. This interruption to schooling, combined with the displacement of families, meant many children experienced a lost term of education and ongoing instability at home. The human cost of the floods thus extends beyond the immediate death toll – it includes the uprooting of communities, threats to public health, psychological scars, and setbacks in education and livelihoods that may take years to overcome.

Part Two 

Infrastructure Collapse and Economic Losses

Beyond the human suffering, the floods delivered a devastating blow to both infrastructure and the economy in KwaZulu-Natal. The province's infrastructure, already under strain, was ill-prepared for the magnitude of the deluge. The flooding wiped out roads, bridges, and essential utilities on an unprecedented scale. In the Durban area, numerous bridges collapsed or sustained severe damage; one striking image depicted a 15-meter-wide chasm where a bridge in Ntuzuma once stood, illustrating the extent of the destruction.

By one estimate, around 1,300 road repair projects were identified in the wake of the disaster, highlighting the extensive damage to the road network. Key highways, landslides, and bridge failures disrupted major routes. For example, the flood-damaged Bayhead Road – a vital access route to the Port of Durban – typically accommodated 13,000 heavy vehicles daily; its closure resulted in significant logistical bottlenecks​. By April 2023, the then Mayor of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Mxolisi Kaunda, informed the media: "It is only after six months that we received R185 million from the government, which we also reprioritised for infrastructure, roads and engineering, as well as water and sanitation. We have completed over 600 roads and bridges in the city with R500 million, and we take pride in that. Now that we have confirmed that R1.5 billion has been received, we will continue," he stated.  

The Port of Durban, one of Africa's busiest harbours and a linchpin of South Africa's trade was forced to suspend operations after the April 2022 floods, as debris and damaged shipping containers littered the port and surrounding bay​. The port operator, Transnet, reported extensive damage to port infrastructure and rail lines. Once Durban Port, one of the continent's largest and busiest shipping terminals, reopened, there was a massive backlog of 8,000 to 9,000 containers. Export shipments, such as automotive goods, were delayed for weeks.​

The industrial sector likewise suffered heavy losses. Toyota’s automobile assembly plant in Prospecton, south of Durban, was inundated and shut down for months​ , leading to production losses. Other factories in low-lying. Industrial parks were similarly flooded, ruining equipment and inventory. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa warned that companies would have to operate on a stop-start schedule until infrastructure was repaired, as the supply of components and the delivery of finished products were severely disrupted. ​

The overall economic impact has been staggering. The cost of infrastructure and business losses amounted to an estimated $2 billion (R36 billion). When considered alongside subsequent floods, the cumulative financial toll in KwaZulu-Natal easily reaches the tens of billions of rand. 

The province’s tourism and 110 small businesses were impacted by an estimated damage of R20 million, particularly along the picturesque Durban coastline, where erosion and damage to tourist facilities were evident. The agricultural sector experienced waterlogged fields and crops destroyed in areas like the Umgeni and Tugela river basins. According to PwC (2022), it will take much longer for agriculture, government services and infrastructure to return to normal. The province is a significant producer of agricultural products, with the second-highest average number of dairy cattle in 2020 (BFAP, 2021). Following the 2022 floods, an estimated 45,000 people were temporarily left unemployed due to businesses closing or cutting back operations​. Many informal traders and wage labourers lost their income when local markets and workplaces were washed away.

“As is often the case, at-risk communities living in informal settlements feel the impacts most acutely,” said Catherine Sutherland of the School of Built Environment and Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in her report prepared for the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on the effects of the flood. “Many of these settlements are located near rivers, below flood lines, or situated on steep hillsides with minimal or no infrastructure to protect them from the elements.”

Call to action 

Professor Stefan Grab from Wits University stated that it was highly likely that recent anthropogenic global climate warming had contributed to trends of increased flooding. We need to prepare for more significant rainfall events in our cities, which applies to Durban and all South African cities and towns. We must ensure our infrastructure, especially drainage systems, is ready. It is urgent that we better prepare ourselves for the heavy rainfall and flood events that will likely come soon," said Grab. 

He mentioned that there is a keen awareness at all levels of government that future infrastructure must be more resilient to withstand extreme weather. The City of Durban (under eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality) and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government have started integrating climate resilience into their rebuilding efforts. In practice, this involves not merely reconstructing like-for-like but enhancing designs and planning:

Stricter building codes and land-use planning: There are calls to prevent rebuilding informal housing in high-risk flood zones. In consultation with engineers, Durban officials have discussed creating buffer zones along riverbanks and relocating settlements to safer ground to avoid repeat tragedies.​

Upgrading drainage and stormwater systems: Experts noted that inadequate drainage worsened the flooding. Plans are underway to enlarge stormwater drains, restore wetlands, and effectively improve urban drainage to channel heavy rains. Following the recent floods, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality's new Mayor, Cyril Xaba, acknowledged that the city has struggled with recurring heavy floods for the past eight to ten years.

He attributed the crisis to a combination of climate change-driven extreme weather events, insufficient stormwater capacity, and debris clogging drainage systems. Mayor Xaba added that floods in 2024 and early 2025 have reached levels seen only once in 20 to 40 years, indicating that the city must reassess its stormwater management strategies. He highlighted several initiatives to mitigate flood risks, including the Sihlanzimvelo programme, which focuses on maintaining 500km of streams in high-risk areas.

Reinforcing critical infrastructure: The reconstruction of washed-out bridges and roads is carried out with climate projections in mind. Bridges are being rebuilt with higher clearances and stronger support structures. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government noted that it has local engineering expertise to construct infrastructure capable of withstanding future extreme events, which they intend to leverage in rebuilding.

Early warning systems and preparedness: The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has upgraded its flood warning systems after criticism that some communities were caught off guard. Notably, SAWS has established an Impact-Based Severe Weather Warning System (ImpB-SWWS), which shifts the focus from merely forecasting weather conditions to predicting the potential impacts of hazardous weather events. Disaster management drills and community awareness campaigns are being intensified in flood-prone localities.

Furthermore, the District Development Model (DDM) is a national initiative designed to foster integrated planning and coordination across all spheres of government—national, provincial, and local. Its primary objective is to streamline service delivery and disaster management by aligning efforts and resources effectively. The model has been recognised for its potential to enhance integrated development planning (IDP) by promoting a "One Plan" approach for each district, ensuring that all government entities work collaboratively towards a common goal. 

Conclusion

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has established the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council to address the growing climate challenges. This council coordinates the province's response to climate change, ensuring that mitigation and adaptation strategies are effectively integrated into development plans.

Encouragingly, some infrastructure has already been restored. By 2023, major highways in Durban were reopened, and efforts to rehabilitate water and electricity networks proved largely successful. To support these initiatives, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality prioritised infrastructure restoration, approving borrowings totalling R1.5 billion for the 2023/2024 fiscal year. 

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