South Africa’s citrus growers entered the 2026 season with high hopes, projecting a record-breaking export of up to 215 million cartons. However, those aspirations were washed away as catastrophic flooding across the Western and Eastern Cape left farmers tallying millions in losses and facing a significant setback.
This follows a week of weather chaos that saw the Kouga Dam in the Eastern Cape skyrocket from 32% to 119% capacity in just 24 hours, unleashing 2.2 million litres of water per second over its spillway. The relentless cut-off low system dumped more than 300mm of rain in parts of the region, triggering a national state of disaster as orchards turned into rivers just as early mandarin harvesting was beginning to hit its stride.
The CEO of the Citrus Growers Association (CGA), Boitshoko Ntshabele, expressed deep concern over the severe flooding that has crippled key production hubs. “This is a significant setback, particularly as the citrus season was just beginning to ramp up. While it is still too early to determine the full impact on the crop, there has clearly been damage to infrastructure.
“Early indications suggest that orchards have been flooded, with some trees uprooted, and initial estimates indicate that around 10–12% of the local crop may be affected,” he stated.
The CGA has welcomed the declaration of a state of disaster, as the move will enable coordinated government support in response to the crisis.
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Millions lost in the Gamtoos Valley
The Eastern Cape, specifically the Gamtoos Valley around Patensie and Hankey, has emerged as the most severely impacted region. For local producers, the optimistic export projections for 2026 have been replaced by the grim reality of submerged trees and lost income. Food For Mzansi spoke to farmers in the area who are now battling to save their livelihoods.
Khaya Katoo said his 12 hectares of citrus trees intended for the export market were underwater for more than 24 hours. “Unfortunately, this means we won’t be able to export that fruit, resulting in an estimated loss of around R3.5 million already.
“The floodwater has found a new route directly through our farm. We may lose 30–40 hectares of land to the new river course. In addition, some of the trees we planted in January, about one hectare, were swept away. We still don’t know the full extent of that loss yet. At the moment, we also have no water, no electricity, and no signal,” Katoo said.
Crewelyn Katoo shared the same heartbreak, noting that some of their fruit was underwater, “and that means we won’t be able to export it, so as it stands now, we already will lose an income of R3.6 million.”
Eben-louw Bezuidenhout echoed these concerns, noting that the water ran through his entire farm and all the trees. “There is still fruit on the trees, so I do not know if they are going to fall off or rot; it is too early for me to say,” he said.
Western Cape assessing storm impact
In the Western Cape, while some farmers escaped direct damage to their orchards, they witnessed the struggles of those nearby. Debbie Theunissen, a commercial pomegranate farmer, told Food For Mzansi that her neighbour’s citrus crop was not as fortunate.
“Our neighbour grows citrus, mostly under nets, and some of his trees stood in water,” Theunissen said. Regarding her own farm, she noted, “The farm itself received only about 32mm of rain over two days, but borders the Berg River, and it pushed past the banks onto the farm, but fortunately not into the orchards.”
According to Ntshabele, the province also experienced heavy rainfall; however, the extent of damage in regions like Citrusdal and the Boland appears to be less severe than in the Eastern Cape. He noted that key infrastructure, including main access routes, has largely remained operational. He attributed this mitigation to the preventative river work undertaken in recent years by the Western Cape government.
The disruption caused by the floods is expected to be felt most acutely in the soft citrus category, Ntsabele added, as early mandarin harvesting was ramping up when the rains arrived. The extent of this impact is still being assessed.
“What had been shaping up as a strong season now requires high levels of adaptability and responsiveness,” he said.
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