Mthatha Dam has no sluice gates! Rumours about their opening are false - Water & Sanitation Dept
Catastrophic floods hit Mthatha last week, leaving at least 90 people dead.
A home in Mthatha was partially destroyed during flooding in the area on 11 June 2025. Picture: Jacques Nelles/EWN
702’s Bongani Bingwa speaks with Wally Ramokgopa of Dam Safety at the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Listen below:
The recent cold front had a disastrous impact on Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
Official data revealed that at least 129 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours.
The Mthatha River overflowed, submerging homes and sweeping away roads.
The death toll has risen to 90, and rescue and recovery efforts are still underway.
Amid the flooding crisis, rumours spread that the sluice gates at the Mthatha Dam had been opened.
However, the Department of Water and Sanitation says the dam has no sluice gates but only an automatic spillway that activates when water levels overflow.
Ramokgopa says that if dam levels exceed 100%, any houses living below the flood lines will be at risk of flooding.
RELATED: Eastern Cape floods: Gift of the Givers deploying search and rescue personnel as death toll rises
“The Water Act states that no one should be developing below the 100-year flood lines.”
- Wally Ramokgopa, Dam Safety - Department of Water & Sanitation
He adds that the dam performed well under the circumstances, from an engineering perspective.
Scroll up to the audio player for more.