Can Southern Africa break the flood cycle?

Heavy rains hit southeastern Africafrom late December 2025 to mid-January 2026, with some areas receiving more than a year's worth of rain in just a few days. Between January 10 and 19, parts of Mozambique received upwards of 500 mm of rain, exceeding the annual average. Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini were among the hardest hit, with a total of 400,000 estimated displacements and damage to infrastructure. The death toll surpassed 200 people across the region, with Mozambique alone reporting nearly 140 deaths since October 2025. Over 1.3 million people were affected regionwide, including displaced families and communities facing heightened disease risk due to damaged water and health systems. Major rivers like the Limpopo and Zambezi breached their banks, destroying farmland, roads, bridges, and wildlife infrastructure, especially in South Africa's Kruger National Park, where damage is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars and access routes were washed away.