South Africans Rally Together To Rebuild ‘Die Hel’ After Floods
The small community and visitors of Gamkaskloof are rebuilding safe access to the valley by hand, stone by stone. Western Cape, South Africa (14 May 2026) – Hidden in the... The post South Africans Rally Together To Rebuild ‘Die Hel’ After Floods appeared first on Good Things Guy.
Black News 
The small community and visitors of Gamkaskloof are rebuilding safe access to the valley by hand, stone by stone.
Western Cape, South Africa (14 May 2026) – Hidden in the folds of the Swartberg mountains lies Gamkaskloof, better known as Die Hel.
Its name might sound menacing, but it’s really one of our country’s most special and historic valleys. Families have lived and worked here, and visitors have made the journey to experience this unique corner of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site for generations.
Recently, devastating floods struck the region, and the damage has been severe.
“Recently, devastating floods struck the region, causing severe damage to the Gamkaskloof access road. River crossings were washed away, sections of road collapsed, trees blocked access routes, and vehicles became trapped by rising floodwaters.” shares a campaign created to rebuild the valley, following the floods.
Eleven guests, together with residents and staff, were stranded inside the valley and ultimately had to be evacuated by helicopter, which was the only safe way out after road access was completely lost.
And yet, as so often happens in our beautiful country, when things got hard, South Africans stepped up.
An online crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help fund emergency road repairs, infrastructure recovery, and better emergency preparedness for future flood events in the valley.
“Without access to heavy machinery, restoring and maintaining the road after major flood events becomes an almost impossible task for the small team living and working in the valley. This campaign aims to help reduce the risk of Gamkaskloof becoming completely isolated during future emergencies.”
In just three days of being ‘online’, the campaign has reached R55,039 in funds donated and shared by people from across SA and beyond who don’t want to see the valley totally lost to isolation.
“We are incredibly grateful for the donations received so far. Every contribution brings hope and helps lighten the burden.” shared the organisers of the campaign in a hopeful update.
A small team has already been labouring away at rebuilding by hand.
“Every day Piet and his team continue restoring access to Gamkaskloof by hand – moving boulders, rebuilding washed-away sections, clearing debris, and repairing crossings stone by stone and wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow.”
The fundraising campaign is still open. Every contribution helps, and even simply sharing the link could connect it to someone in a position to give – there is still loads of work that must be done to restore the valley fully and protect it against flooding in the future.
“Together we can help restore access to Gamkaskloof and preserve this extraordinary part of South Africa.”
Sources: Linked above.
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