Tens of thousands of people are being rescued across Mozambique as severe flooding continues to ravage the southern African country, in what authorities and residents describe as the worst floods in a generation.
International rescue teams from Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom are supporting local efforts, carrying out life-saving operations in submerged communities after weeks of relentless rainfall.
“For me, this is the first time I have experienced a calamity of this magnitude. Elders say a similar disaster took place in the 1990s,” said 24-year-old mechanic Tomaz Antonio Mlau.
Large parts of southern and central Mozambique have been inundated following nearly two weeks of continuous downpours. In Marracuene, a town about 30 kilometres north of the capital Maputo, residents woke up to find their homes underwater after the Inkomati River burst its banks.
Mlau said he and his family were forced to flee their home when rescue boats arrived hours later. “We did not hesitate to board and come to safety in Marracuene town,” he said, explaining that they abandoned all their belongings and escaped with only a change of clothes.
Mlau, his wife and their two children are now among about 4,000 displaced people sheltering at six temporary centres, including schools and churches.
At Gwazamutini Secondary School, many of those seeking refuge are farmers from low-lying areas whose homes, livestock and farmlands have been destroyed.
“We lost everything in the floodwaters, including houses, TV sets, fridges, clothing and livestock — cattle, goats and pigs. Our farms are under water,” said 67-year-old farmer Francisco Fernando Chivindzi. “I grow quality rice, but everything is gone.”
Chivindzi’s home in Hobjana is one of several neighbourhoods submerged between the left bank of the Inkomati River and the coastal tourism resort of Macaneta, while Marracuene town itself sits on the river’s right bank.
Authorities warn that the humanitarian situation could worsen if heavy rains persist, as thousands remain displaced and dependent on emergency assistance.
