This week’s Western Cape flooding was serious business – thousands of people displaced, homes and roads underwater, the usual chaos that comes with Mother Nature having a proper tantrum. But leave it to social media to turn a disaster into an absolute circus.

Whilst residents were busy trying to figure out if their car insurance covered “acts of biblical flooding”, some genius decided what the situation really needed was a fake tsunami warning. Because apparently, regular floodwaters were not dramatic enough.

The bogus alert spread across social media faster than you can say “fake news”, sending already stressed residents into an even bigger panic. Emergency services had to step in and calm everyone down, before people started grabbing their valuables and heading for the hills.

But not everyone was panicking. A local Boland tennis coach saw an opportunity in the chaos. With his tennis courts looking more like a swimming pool, he posted a cheeky ad on social media offering “free swimming and surfing lessons”, seeing he could not coach tennis all week.

“Well, the courts are underwater anyway,” he said. “Might as well make the most of it. I’ve got the pool noodles ready.”

His joke went down better than his actual tennis lessons usually do, with locals commenting that they were finally getting their money’s worth from those expensive gym memberships – just not quite where they expected.

Then came the crocodile.

When reports started circulating about a crocodile spotted in the Breederiver in the Langeberg region, most people rolled their eyes. Another social media hoax, right? Filed under “things that definitely didn’t happen” along with the tsunami warning and those annual “shark swimming down Main Road” photos.

Except this time, it was real.

Turns out back in March 2021, a bunch of crocodiles escaped from a feeding farm on the banks of the Breederiver near Bonnievale. Some were caught. Others decided they quite liked their freedom, thank you very much, and it is suspected they have been living their best lives in Western Cape waters ever since.

“People thought I’d been at the brandy when I called it in,” said an eyewitness, who spotted the croc. “But there it was, bold as brass, having itself a proper swim. Made me think twice about my insurance policy, I can tell you.”

So whilst everyone was busy dismissing the crocodile sighting as more social media nonsense, it turned out to be the one true story in a sea of fake news. The irony is not lost on anyone.

Local authorities are now telling residents to be extra careful around floodwaters – and not just because of the usual debris and currents. There might be crocodiles. Actual crocodiles. In the Western Cape. In 2026.

The flooding has displaced around 15 000 people and caused millions in damages. But so far, no one has had any unwanted encounters with the local reptile population. The crocodiles, it seems, are just trying to get through this like everyone else.

As the water levels finally start dropping and people begin cleaning up the mess, this week has served as a perfect reminder that in South Africa, you really cannot make this stuff up. Reality is wild enough on its own.

The Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation says the worst is over, though they have yet to release any official crocodile safety guidelines. Weather services are predicting better conditions for the weekend, so residents can finally dry out – just maybe check for crocs first.

ALSO READ: WATCH | Police captain praised for dangerous river operation to recover human remains from crocodile