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The Laingsburg flood on January 25 1981, is recognized as the biggest natural disaster in the history of South Africa.

The rain started on the weekend of 24th and 25 January 1981, but more in the Moordenaars Karoo, the northern part of the town. The estimated rainfall during the weekend of 24 and 25 January 1981 were 425mm, whereas the normal rainfall per annum is 175 mm.

Consequently, about 140 people lost their lives. One Hundred and four (104) people were from Laingsburg and others from the surrounding towns such as Montague, Ladismith, and Zoar. It is said that about 12 people were washed downstream and eventually rescued at the Floriskraal dam about 21km outside town. Many bodies were unidentified or not even found.

The children of the district used to play in the river after lunch on a Sunday afternoon, but that day, Sunday 25 January 1981, was different. It took the lives of nine children from one family, named Diko. That was the biggest loss of a single family.

Many recovered bodies were buried in the flood cemetery of Laingsburg.

In Memoriam

Jacob Adams - Missing
Johanna Alberts - Missing
Tobias Alberts - Identified
Moses Alexander - Missing
Johannes Ambrose - Missing
Phillipus Arends - Missing
Anita Balie - Missing
Marthinus Barnard – Identified
Helena Barnard – Missing
Margaret Berg/Steenberg - Missing
Jacomina Beukes - Missing
Catharina Botes - Missing

 Hester Botes - Missing

Dirk Claaste - Missing
Johannes Conradie - Missing
Susanna Destroo - Identified
Diko (Baba) - Missing
Edika Diko - Missing
Ertjie Diko - Missing
Hilda Diko - Missing
Jane Diko - Missing
John Diko - Missing
Lena Diko - Missing
Nomvula Diko - Missing
Sina Diko - Missing
Magdalena Drotskie - Identified
Pieter du Plessis - Missing
Beatrix du Toit - Identified

 Susanna du Toit - Identified

Pieter du Toit - Identified
Magdalena Erasmus - Missing
Susanna Erasmus - Missing
Lena Gertse - Missing
Alfred Goodman - Missing
Booi Gouws/Gous - Identified
Isak Gouws - Missing
Jeanette Groenewald - Identified
Willem Grootboom - Identified
Johanna Haasbroek - Missing

 George Horne - Missing

Anna Human - Missing
Daniel Malan Jacobs - Missing
Grace Johannes - Identified
Hendrik Janse van Rensburg - Identified
Johanna Janse van Rensburg - Identified
Jan Kammies - Missing
Klaas Klein - Missing
Anna Knight - Missing
Jeanette Koen - Identified
Martha Koen - Identified
Pieter Koen - Missing
Pieter Koen Jnr – Missing
Barbara Koen/Kuhn - Missing
Jan Kuhn - Identified
Jan Laban - Missing
Catharina Lane - Identified
William Lane - Identified
Helene le Roux - Identified
Letta Lingenfelder - Missing
Johan Lingenfelder - Missing
Johanette Lingenfelder - Identified
Martha Lottering - Missing
Anna Mans - Missing
Florida Mathews - Missing
Pietro Meintjies - Missing
Maria Muller - Identified
Dirk Nel - Identified
Margaret Nel - Identified
Maria Nel - Missing
Hester Nortier - Missing
Johannes Nortier - Missing
Jacobus Olivier - Identified
Catharina Pieterson/Pietersen - Identified
Magrietha Pool - Missing
Johny Pretorius - Missing
Piet Rooi - Identified
Alwina Smith - Identified
F C Smith - Missing
Johannes Smith - Missing
April Solomans - Missing
Jacob Stadler - Missing
Susanna Swanepoel - Missing
Jan Swart - Identified
Mark Taylor - Missing
Susan Taylor - Identified
Elizabeth Theron - Missing
Elsie Theron - Missing
Hester Theron - Missing
Johannes Theron - Missing
Apolis Tieties - Missing
Carlo van den Berg - Identified
Gerhard van den Berg - Missing
Hendrina van den Berg - Missing
Jacob van den Berg - Missing
Jacomina van der Vyver - Missing
Johannes van Deventer - Missing
Johanna van Wyk - Missing
Johannes Victor - Identified
Karel Visagie - Missing
Stephen Whitaker - Missing
Willem Willemse - Missing
Alexander Williams - Missing
Bernard Williams - Missing

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