EC floods: Some residents in OR Tambo District fear bodies could be trapped under rubble
They’ve told journalists that a sharp stench has begun to settle over parts of their neighbourhoods.
A home in Mthatha was partially destroyed during flooding in the area on 11 June 2025. Picture: Jacques Nelles/EWN
MTHATHA - Some residents in the flood-ravaged OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape fear that bodies could still be trapped under rubble, three weeks after deadly floods swept through parts of Mthatha and surrounding areas.
They’ve told journalists that a sharp stench has begun to settle over parts of their neighbourhoods.
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Authorities have not confirmed the claims and search teams have not been able to reach all affected areas to date.
Residents said flies swarmed constantly and that clothing, branches, and furniture remained entangled in the wreckage outside their homes, untouched since the floods.
They worry that beneath the debris, some of the missing may still be there, undiscovered and unaccounted for.
Many said they’d lost hope that help was coming, with no presence from disaster officials in the back streets and yards where damage was still visible.
"Straight ahead? The smell is horrible, you can’t even pass. We know the smell of dirt - that’s not it," said one resident.
"You can’t even try and look for anyone, the stench is unbearable," echoed another.
So far, there’s been no formal response from the Eastern Cape provincial government, police or disaster teams and no indication that those spots will be investigated.