In Limpopo's Mapayeni village near Giyani, schools and clinics are working to resume normal operations following mid-January floods. The province stays in an active disaster phase amid millions of rand in infrastructure damage. Local officials are addressing impacts on education and health services.
The floods that struck Limpopo in mid-January 2026 left Mapayeni village near Giyani waterlogged, with the main road ending in a stretch of water outside a local early childhood development centre. Travellers must now use surrounding dirt roads, some requiring four-wheel-drive vehicles. Despite these challenges, most children have returned to schools, and the Mapayeni Clinic continues to operate.
At the clinic, which serves six villages, floodwaters reached the doors during the peak, complicating access for staff and patients. Nkuna Rhulani, the clinic's matron, described how clients had to remove shoes to enter, yet operations never halted without a directive from the Limpopo Department of Health. 'We motivated each other because if there is an unexpected disaster, you cannot run away,' Rhulani said. Electricity and water supplies were disrupted, but the department installed a drainage pipe and provided support through assessments. A sinkhole on the property, caused by recent flooding over an old disposal site, remains cordoned off. Staff are monitoring for malaria in this risk area but report no increased cases or diarrhoeal diseases so far.
Nearby, Tipfuxeni Mapayeni Community Creche, serving 56 children, closed for a week as classrooms filled with water nearly to the ceilings due to roof gaps and floor seepage. Principal Mavis Basani Maluleke noted that toilets remain flooded, and there is no running water, forcing reliance on stored supplies that will soon run out. Practitioners plan to purchase water to prevent dehydration in the hot weather, and they seek repairs from the Limpopo Department of Education.
Rhida Primary School, with about 800 learners, delayed reopening for a week; Grade R classes and toilets stayed flooded initially, leading to another closure. Departmental head Manganyi Nelly explained the lack of electricity halted water supply, but mobile toilets were provided, and electricity has returned. The school's feeding scheme faced brief disruptions.
Province-wide, 113 schools were affected, with repair costs estimated at R185-million, according to Limpopo Department of Education spokesperson Mike Maringa. Premier Phophi Ramathuba, in a 5 February 2026 briefing, highlighted damage to roads, bridges, and facilities, impacting 3,194 homes and 439 roads covering 600km. The province remains in an active disaster phase, with a national classification enabling support, and plans for a school catch-up programme as conditions stabilize.
