Floods Severely Disrupt Rail Links Between Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe

Railway connections between Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and South Africa’s Limpopo Province have been severely disrupted by recent flooding, impacting critical rail corridors that also serve Eswatini and Zimbabwe. The Mozambique Railways Company (CFM) has suspended train services on both the Ressano Garcia and Goba railway lines, which connect Maputo with South Africa and Eswatini, respectively, following extensive flood damage.

CFM is currently working to repair the Ressano Garcia line, which is vital for linking the Port of Maputo with the Ressano Garcia border post into South Africa. Landslides have destroyed sections of the track, and the company is also draining water from affected areas, including the Matola-Gare section within Matola municipality. The Goba line, which connects Maputo with Eswatini, has also been suspended due to flooding, further isolating the region’s rail network.

These disruptions extend to the Limpopo Railway, which provides a key link between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Operations on this line have also been suspended, with CFM indicating that services will resume once repair works are completed and conditions are deemed safe.

The flooding has had a devastating human impact, with Mozambican authorities reporting that more than 100 people have died and many more have been displaced across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Transport and Logistics in Mozambique estimates that approximately 3,000 kilometres of roads have been significantly affected, including sections of the main north–south N1 road in Maputo and Gaza provinces, which have been flooded or washed away, cutting off north–south road access in several areas.

In Zimbabwe, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has also suspended rail traffic on the Chicualacuala–Maputo Corridor due to flood damage. The railway line between Chicualacuala and Maputo is temporarily closed following extensive washaways caused by heavy rainfall in Mozambique, affecting the movement of rail traffic to and from Zimbabwe.

Transnet, South Africa’s rail operator, has noted that its operations have also been impacted, with assessments currently underway to determine the full extent of the damage.

This disruption comes shortly after the Port of Maputo announced record performance for 2025, with total cargo handled reaching an all-time high of 32 million tonnes, and rail volumes increasing by 17% year-on-year. The port’s recent growth has been underpinned by sustained investment in infrastructure and operational efficiency, but the current crisis highlights the vulnerability of regional logistics to extreme weather events.

For Africa’s travel and logistics sectors, these events underscore the importance of resilient infrastructure and coordinated disaster response. As the region works to restore vital rail and road links, ongoing investment in climate adaptation and corridor development will be crucial to safeguarding trade, tourism, and community livelihoods in the face of increasingly frequent natural disasters.