South Africa's Kruger National Park is facing a recovery effort expected to take up to five years and cost more than 500 million rand (£22 million) after severe floods caused extensive damage, the environment minister has confirmed.
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp said fifteen tourist camps remain shut, with some completely inaccessible after rivers burst their banks last week. Hundreds of people were safely evacuated and no lives were lost, but infrastructure including bridges and roads has been severely damaged.
"The recent floods that we've experienced have had a devastating effect on the park," Mr Aucamp told Reuters. "The indication is that it will take as long as five years to repair all the bridges and roads and other infrastructure."
Reuters journalists at the park witnessed bridges entirely submerged by rushing water and hippos swimming among treetops, underscoring the deluge's power. While park officials have expressed limited concern for wildlife, which instinctively moves to higher ground, they have warned nearby residents about crocodiles potentially displaced beyond their usual habitats.
The floods are part of a pattern of increasingly severe weather in southeastern Africa, linked to climate change intensifying storms in the Indian Ocean. Neighbouring Mozambique is also grappling with devastating floods that have forced tens of thousands to abandon their homes.
