South Africa: Going Into Labour in a Village Cut Off By Floods
A woman in Mbaula village, outside Giyani in Limpopo, safely gave birth with the help of a community health worker after floods cut the village off from healthcare services.
Heavy rainfall on 14 January caused rivers to overflow, submerging roads and isolating the village. Mbaula and neighbouring Phalakubeni continue to struggle to access healthcare.
On 15 January Evidence Ramuswana went into labour. With roads flooded and no taxis or ambulances able to reach them, Ramuswana turned to Maggie Setagane, a community health worker who lives a few metres from her home.
“It was raining heavily when I went into labour at around 10 pm. I woke up and asked my sister-in-law to go with me to her place to ask her to take me to the clinic, but it was not possible because of the rain,” says Ramuswana.
Ramuswana, who lives with her two children, was assisted by Setagane and her mother to deliver her baby girl at home.
A general lack of health services
Setagane describes the broader healthcare challenges the community faces.
“Residents have to hire a car for R500 when women go into labour. Some people on ARVs don’t have money to travel to the clinic, so they miss doses or take other pills. We try to follow up, but transport is a real barrier. We hope they can send a nurse to assist us,” she says.
Residents say they have waited more than three decades for the Limpopo Department of Health to upgrade their local healthcare point into a fully serviced clinic. Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana told Health-e News in 2025 that no new clinics have been built in the province since the 2013/2014 financial year when the province was under administration.
By Thembi Siaga
