Red Cross disburses cash aid to 650 households nationwide

Red Cross Society of Eswatini Director Danger Nhlabatsi said that Red Cross Society of Eswatini has been complementing government efforts through cash-based assistance aimed at helping households meet their most urgent needs.

According to Nhlabatsi, more than 650 households across the country have received cash assistance since December 2025.

“Since December 2025, the Red Cross has disbursed cash assistance to over 650 households nationally. This support allows families the dignity to prioritise what they need most, whether it is food, shelter materials or other essential items,” said Nhlabatsi.

Nhlabatsi explained that cash assistance has proven effective in emergencies, particularly where markets are still functioning.
He said it also helps stimulate local economies while giving affected families flexibility in how they recover.

He added that Red Cross volunteers have been deployed in several communities to support assessments, distribute aid and provide basic support to affected families.

The organisation continues to work with the NDMA and other partners to monitor the situation as the rains persist.

“The rains are still ongoing, and this means the risk has not yet passed. We continue to assess the situation daily and remain on standby to respond to any new incidents,” said Nhlabatsi

He urged communities in high-risk areas to remain vigilant and follow guidance issued by authorities, particularly around rivers and flood-prone zones.

Nhlabatsi also called on continued cooperation between humanitarian organisations, government structures and local leaders to ensure an effective response.

Despite the damage caused by the prolonged rainfall, Nhlabatsi said the response demonstrated the value of preparedness and collaboration.

“This situation has shown the importance of partnerships. When the Government, NDMA and humanitarian organisations work together, it becomes possible to reach people faster and reduce suffering,” he said.

He said the Red Cross Society of Eswatini remains committed to supporting affected communities during the current emergency and beyond, as families begin the process of rebuilding their lives once the rains subside.

Meanwhile in other countries army heli­copters res­cued people stran­ded on rooftops and hun­dreds of tour­ists and work­ers were evac­u­ated from one of the world’s biggest game reserves, as tor­ren­tial rains and flood­ing in three coun­tries in south­ern Africa killed more than 100 people, author­it­ies said Fri­day.

The death toll across South Africa, Mozam­bi­que and Zim­b­abwe is an accu­mu­la­tion after weeks of heavy rains. Weather ser­vices issued warn­ings that more rain was on the way, pos­sibly bring­ing more destruct­ive flood­ing.

Mozam­bi­que was the hard­est hit, with flood­ing across swathes of the coun­try’s cent­ral and south­ern provinces.

Its Insti­tute for Dis­aster Man­age­ment and Risk Reduc­tion said 103 people had died in an unusu­ally severe rainy sea­son since late last year, though that count included deaths from vari­ous causes includ­ing elec­tro­cu­tion from light­ning strikes, drown­ing in floods, infra­struc­ture col­lapse caused by the severe weather and chol­era, the insti­tute said.