How Ford South Africa Helped When Roads Became Rivers

In a week where the skies over South Africa seemed to open without end, another force began to rise alongside the floodwaters. One carried by compassion, partnership and the determination to reach people who suddenly found themselves alone.

Across the Northern Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape and Southern Cape, relentless rain changed familiar landscapes overnight. Streets became rivers. Roads disappeared beneath water and mud. Families watched helplessly as homes filled with water and entire communities were cut off from the outside world.

In Thabong near Welkom, flash floods affected more than 12,000 residents and inundated over 3,400 homes. In the Northern Cape, the devastation stretched even further as floodwaters carved the landscape into 82 isolated “islands” near Kuruman, leaving nearly 2,000 families stranded and unreachable by road.

For many, the silence that followed was the hardest part.

That is when Ford Philanthropy partnered with Gift of the Givers to help ensure that even the most isolated communities would not be forgotten.

“Having strong partnerships is key to meaningful impact,” said Mary Culler, President of Ford Philanthropy. “Through Ford Building Together, that means more than writing a cheque. We are putting the full power of Ford, our employees, dealers, and vehicles to support our partners like Gift of the Givers. It’s about making sure communities receive the care they need during a crisis and continuous support to build long-term resilience.”

For more than 100 years, Ford has stood alongside the communities where we live and work, a legacy that continues today through Ford Building Together. By working hand in hand with nonprofit partners who are deeply connected to their neighbours, we can ensure support meets the unique needs of the communities they serve. In moments of disaster, that support becomes deeply personal, because access to food, clean water, warmth and mobility can restore not only safety, but dignity and hope.

On the ground, Gift of the Givers teams moved quickly through dangerous conditions, navigating damaged roads and deep mud to reach families in Upington, Karos and Leerkrantz. But as the rains intensified, many routes disappeared entirely beneath the floodwaters.

Reaching people would require more than determination. It would require another way forward.

With support from Ford Philanthropy, Gift of the Givers expanded relief efforts into the skies, working alongside the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to deploy helicopters to isolated communities near Kuruman.

For families stranded on those islands of floodwater, the distant sound of helicopter blades became something more than noise overhead. It became reassurance that help was coming.

Food parcels, bottled water, blankets and emergency supplies were airlifted to communities that had been entirely cut off for days. In places where roads no longer existed, partnership became the bridge between fear and relief.

Support also began flowing from across the broader Ford dealer community. In the Northern Cape, Kuruman Ford stepped forward to support Gift of the Givers on the ground, providing additional vehicles and volunteers to assist with the distribution of food, water, blankets and other essential supplies to isolated communities. The added mobility helped relief teams reach areas where floodwaters had left many families cut off and difficult to access.

At the same time, preparations intensified across the Eastern and Southern Cape as severe weather warnings escalated from Level 6 to 10 in several districts.

Warehouses in Johannesburg and Cape Town were mobilised, while emergency stock and supplies were dispatched to high-risk areas including Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, Kouga, Koukamma, Amathole and Amahlathi. Search and rescue teams remain on standby in coordination with Disaster Management, COGTA and local municipalities, ready to move families to safety should conditions worsen.

For Ford, the response is not simply about emergency funding. It is about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with communities and trusted partners during moments of uncertainty and loss. It is about listening first, acting quickly and bringing the full strength of Ford to support communities when they need it most.

As floodwaters continue to test communities across South Africa, this partnership is showing what is possible when people come together with urgency, empathy and purpose.

Because in moments like these, hope travels many roads. Sometimes by convoy. Sometimes by helicopter. But always through people willing to show up for one another.

Neale Hill is President, Ford Motor Company, Africa