South Africa's Western Cape Braces for Storms as Climate Extremes Hit Southern Africa

Southern Africa and East Africa are simultaneously grappling with opposite but equally dangerous climate extremes this September — a juxtaposition that scientists say illustrates the increasingly unpredictable weather patterns associated with a warming Indian Ocean.

In South Africa, the Western Cape has recorded its wettest September in 40 years, with several coastal towns reporting flooding in low-lying areas and the N2 highway between Cape Town and George suffering multiple closures due to mudslides. Four people have died in weather-related incidents in the province, with dozens more evacuated from flood-prone informal settlements in Cape Town's Mitchells Plain.

Meanwhile, IGAD — the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which monitors climate conditions for East Africa — has issued a warning about a developing El Niño pattern that models suggest could bring abnormally high rainfall to parts of Kenya's western and central highlands in October-November, while simultaneously creating drought conditions in the north.

Kenya's Meteorological Department has urged communities in Turkana, Marsabit and Mandera counties to begin contingency planning for drought, while advising farmers in the Central and Rift Valley regions to prepare for above-average long rains that could damage unharvested crops if timing is misjudged.

CS Fred Matiang'i, speaking in his capacity as chair of the National Drought Management Authority's oversight committee, challenged the government to reveal the specific budget allocated for El Niño preparedness. "The rains of 2023 cost us billions in destroyed infrastructure and displaced families. We cannot be unprepared again," he said, adding that his experience as a former Interior Minister had given him insight into how poorly cross-agency coordination had worked in previous disaster responses.