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File image| Flooding after heavy rains.
Parents of learners at Dzumeri area outside Giyani, in Limpopo are lamenting their losses due to heavy rains and flooding. The Vhembe and Mopani districts have been experiencing heavy rainfall which has caused flooding.
Despite the new school year commencing, scores of learners in the Giyani municipal area in Limpopo will not be reporting to their respective schools this week.#MorningLive #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/yaA2c60eJg
— SABCNews_MorningLive (@MorningLiveSABC) January 15, 2026
WATCH | Some learners in Giyani, Limpopo, say they were eager to return to school today, but Famandha High School is among several schools that could not reopen due to heavy rains. SABC News reporter Katlego Nyoni has more. pic.twitter.com/u8P9zYhvyw
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 14, 2026
The parents say learners are unable to go to school as the bridges have been damaged and roads are impassable. One of the parents, Salva Ngoveni, says some mud houses have started collapsing.
“This persistent rainfall is a problem. Roads are damaged, our children can’t go to school, we can’t cook outside anymore. Houses are collapsing, it’s difficult, there’s nothing we can do,” says Ngoveni.
VIDEO | Heavy floods delay schooling in Giyani:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxvOYwgs2aE
Meanwhwile, the Mpumalanga Department of Education has suspended teaching and learning in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, due to persistent rains.
The department says some of the learners and teachers could not reach their schools because of waterlogged and impassable roads.
WATCH | A severe weather warning has been issued for the northeast of Mpumalanga. Tumelo Machogo reports. pic.twitter.com/cCtwlzZc6h
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 15, 2026
Education spokesperson in the province, Gerald Sambo has called on schools in other areas affected by the heavy rains to prioritise safety of the learners.
“After careful consideration, the Department has taken the decision to temporarily suspend classes in the Bohlabela or Bushbuckridge Local Municipality only for two days, from Thursday 15 January to Friday 16 January 2026. In the Ehlanzeni District, school principals have been formally empowered to exercise their discretion, guided by on-the-ground assessments to ensure the safety of both learners and staff,” says Sambo.
RELATED VIDEO | Mpumalanga | Heavy rains massively impact the province:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Iu_FRzgA0
