The Limpopo River is currently in a catastrophic, life-threatening flood stage, triggering a National State of Disaster in South Africa and forcing “compulsory evacuations” for thousands of residents in the Gaza Province of Mozambique.
The Limpopo River is currently in a catastrophic, life-threatening flood stage, with 40% of Mozambique’s Gaza Province submerged and over 300,000 people displaced in a single region.
The river system is currently exceeding the 20-year return period threshold. With discharge from the Massingir Dam reaching a record 17,000 cubic meters per second, the lower Limpopo basin is facing its most dangerous crest since the historic 2000 floods. While rains in the upper catchment are finally tapering off, the sheer volume of water moving toward the coast remains critical.
The situation has reached a “Critical” status. While rain in South Africa has tapered off, the Limpopo River is cresting in southern Mozambique. A countrywide Red Alert (the highest level) remains in effect. The flood pulse, intensified by record releases from upstream dams, is currently moving through the lower basin toward the Indian Ocean, leaving towns like Chókwè almost entirely underwater.
Chókwè (Mozambique): Reported to be almost entirely inundated; aerial footage shows only roof tips visible in some neighborhoods.
Xai-Xai (Mozambique): Under emergency evacuation orders as of this morning; streets are already beginning to resemble rivers as the main crest arrives.
Musina & Beitbridge (South Africa): While water is slowly receding, the N1-National Road No. 1 remains under heavy monitoring with significant damage to surrounding infrastructure.
Thohoyandou & Mutale (South Africa): Search and rescue operations continue for missing persons swept away by the Mutale River during the peak surge.
Maputo Province: Nearly 265,000 people affected as the flooding spreads to neighboring river basins.
National Road No. 1 (Xai-Xai-Chicumbane): This critical north-south highway is officially impassable due to the Limpopo River’s overflow, cutting off the main artery of Mozambique.
Beitbridge Border Crossing: High-volume transit remains sluggish; while the bridge is standing, the surrounding silt and debris have created logistical bottlenecks.
Kruger National Park (North): Remains closed due to extensive bridge washouts, even as southern gates (Paul Kruger, Phabeni, Malelane) begin to reopen for day visitors.
Information compiled from the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), South African Weather Service (SAWS), and ARA-Sul (Mozambique) as of January 19, 2026.
With a death toll now exceeding 150 people across the region, this event has officially surpassed the 2013 flood severity and is being categorized as the most destructive hydrological event in the basin since the Great Flood of 2000.
The Limpopo River isn’t just a boundary; it’s the lifeblood of a massive transboundary basin covering over 415,000 square kilometers (an area larger than Germany).
The “Breadbasket” Factor: This river feeds the massive agricultural belts of South Africa’s Limpopo Province and Mozambique’s Gaza Province. These regions are critical for the production of citrus, maize, and sugarcane. The current flooding hasn’t just damaged homes; it has submerged over 70,000 hectares of crops, threatening regional food security for the coming year.
The Trade Artery: The Limpopo serves as the physical border between South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The Beitbridge Border Post is the busiest inland port in sub-Saharan Africa. When the Limpopo floods, the “economic heart” of the region skips a beat, delaying thousands of tons of commercial freight that move between the South African coast and the northern interior.
A Landscape of Extremes: The basin is a land of “drought or drown.” It is highly vulnerable to the La Niña phenomenon, which transitions the region from parched, arid dust to a churning inland sea almost overnight. This 2026 event is a “perfect storm” of saturated soils from a wet December combined with a slow-moving low-pressure system.
Cultural & Natural Heritage: Beyond the economy, the river flows through the cradle of ancient civilizations like the Kingdom of Mapungubwe and borders the world-renowned Kruger National Park. For the Venda and Tswana people, the river is a spiritual entity, often featured in folklore as the home of the mythical python—making this flood as much a cultural event as a natural one.
The lower Limpopo is essentially a mega-palaeo-delta, a concept we explore in Fluvial Geomorphology Explained: How Deltas, Alluvial Fans, and Rivers Form
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