27 Feb 2025

Residents of Oliphants Drift in Kgatleng District are still in anguish following the destructive force of this past week’s torrential rains that almost submerged their village.
The destructive force was in the form of raging floods that spilled into their settlement from the confluence of Madikwe and Limpopo rivers.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. One wrong step and the waters could pull you under!” exclaimed one woman to BOPA upon entry into Oliphants Drift.
To the residents of Oliphants Drift, last Wednesday turned into doomsday as floodwaters from the Limpopo River—which begins as the Crocodile River in northeastern South Africa and joins Botswana’s Madikwe River—forced the local police department, clinic, and civil servants to temporarily evacuate both their offices and homes. The deserted police quarters, BOPA observed, remained an eerie scene, comparable to a ghost town even now.
“An event of this scale has never happened before in this quiet village,” said Sub-Inspector Aron Kerebotswe of Oliphants Drift police, adding happily that his fellow staff members were able to escape well on time before the floodwaters reached a critical level.
“However, work has stopped. Working conditions have been negatively affected.
“And we are crammed together, shoulder to shoulder in our little new office,” said Mr Kerebotswe.
Residents living in mud huts also bore the brunt of the disaster as the huts collapsed leaving them with no option but to dwell in tents.
The floodwaters have moderately receded, the effects are still visible.
“A proper village drainage system could have averted this devastating outcome. Poor drainage system is the issue,” said a local police officer.
During BOPA’s visit to the area on Tuesday, the village was still covered with water and residents had been evacuated and housed in different areas. ENDS