{"id":297043,"date":"2026-06-03T14:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:51:11","slug":"garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

GARDEN ROUTE<\/strong> – The Garden Route National Park has moved swiftly to protect visitors, staff, and infrastructure as the <\/strong>South African Weather Service has issued an Orange Level 8 Warning<\/a> for the region, signalling potentially dangerous conditions in the days ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JP Louw, SANParks Head of Communications and Spokesperson,<\/strong> said that in the Tsitsikamma Section, all hikers on the Otter Trail have been safely evacuated, and all water-based activities and hiking trails have been suspended due to the increased risk posed by unstable trees and potential windfalls resulting from the recent storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Nature’s Valley, he said the river mouth remains open, and no flooding has been reported within the rest camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, both Nature’s Valley and Bloukrans are currently experiencing power outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Due to saturated ground conditions, the Waterfall Trail and all hiking trails within the Storms River Mouth Rest Camp have been temporarily closed,” said Louw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that in the Wilderness Section, the Swartvlei and Touw River mouths remain open, which currently reduce the risk of flooding in surrounding areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as a precaution, Louw noted that all hiking trails and water-based activities have been suspended until conditions are deemed safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Knysna Section, he said weather conditions remain relatively mild, with light rainfall and increasing wind speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“All trails, hut facilities, and deck camps have been closed in Diepwalle and will remain inaccessible until 5 June,” said Louw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Louw, all hiking and cycling trails in Harkerville are temporarily closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“SANParks will continue to monitor weather conditions and make operational decisions based on ground conditions. Visitors are urged to exercise caution, adhere to all safety notices and closures, and stay informed through official park communication channels for the latest updates,” said Louw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Eastern Cape schools close amid Level 8 weather warning<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SANParks suspends trails and water activities across multiple sections as Orange Level 8 warning signals dangerous conditions in the days ahead. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":296574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"author_byline":"","competition_end_date":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","language_version_url":"","post_language":"en","video_embed_url":"","scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8166,9236,9238,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-297043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-flooding","tag-orange-level-8","tag-severe-weather","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nGarden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0 | Mthatha Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"854\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0c41124cb76de058404dae3cbd14efb\"},\"headline\":\"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":308,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"flooding\",\"Orange Level 8\",\"severe weather\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/\",\"name\":\"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0 | Mthatha Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":854,\"caption\":\"Garden Route National Park takes action on Orange Level 8 warning. PHOTO: Pixabay\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MthathaExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\"],\"description\":\"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.\",\"email\":\"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27472932973\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0c41124cb76de058404dae3cbd14efb\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"description\":\"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\\\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lightspeedwp.agency\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@lightspeedwp\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/author\\\/lightspeedwp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0 | Mthatha Express","description":"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0","og_description":"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/","og_site_name":"Mthatha Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","article_published_time":"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":854,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mthatha Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mthatha Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/"},"author":{"name":"Mthatha Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e0c41124cb76de058404dae3cbd14efb"},"headline":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/"},"wordCount":308,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","keywords":["flooding","Orange Level 8","severe weather","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/","name":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0 | Mthatha Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-03T12:51:11+00:00","description":"Garden Route National Park closes trails and evacuates Otter Trail hikers as Orange Level 8 storm warning signals dangerous conditions ahead.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","width":1280,"height":854,"caption":"Garden Route National Park takes action on Orange Level 8 warning. PHOTO: Pixabay"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/garden-route-national-park-acts-on-orange-level-8-storm-warning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Garden Route National Park acts on Orange Level 8 storm warning\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","name":"Mthatha Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization","name":"Mthatha Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mthatha Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000"],"description":"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.","email":"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27472932973","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e0c41124cb76de058404dae3cbd14efb","name":"Mthatha Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mthatha Express"},"description":"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.","sameAs":["https:\/\/lightspeedwp.agency\/","https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/instagram.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@lightspeedwp"],"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/author\/lightspeedwp\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":296565,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/heavy-rains-lash-kouga-and-garden-route-closing-roads-and-forcing-evacuations\/","url_meta":{"origin":297043,"position":0},"title":"Heavy rains lash Kouga and Garden Route, closing roads and forcing evacuations","author":"Kouga Express","date":"7 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Heavy rain has triggered widespread flooding, road closures and landslides across the Kouga region and Garden Route, disrupting travel.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Heavy rain has triggered widespread flooding, road closures and landslides across the Kouga region and Garden Route, disrupting travel.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/flood-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296617,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/nsri-sounds-alarm-over-kromme-river-as-floods-leave-trail-of-destruction\/","url_meta":{"origin":297043,"position":1},"title":"NSRI sounds alarm over Kromme River as floods leave trail of destruction","author":"Kouga Express","date":"8 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NSRI St Francis Bay warns the public to stay away from the Kromme River as flooding continues to wreak havoc across the Kouga municipal area.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SANParks suspends trails and water activities across multiple sections as Orange Level 8 warning signals dangerous conditions in the days ahead.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296480,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/kouga-municipality-mobilises-emergency-teams-as-widespread-flooding-hits-region\/","url_meta":{"origin":297043,"position":2},"title":"Kouga Municipality mobilises emergency teams as widespread flooding hits region","author":"Kouga Express","date":"6 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Local Municipality is responding to widespread flooding after approximately 100mm of overnight rain impacted various parts of the region.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kouga Local Municipality is currently responding to widespread flooding following heavy rainfall recorded overnight, with approximately 100mm of rain impacting various parts of the region.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Flooding-in-Kouga.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Flooding-in-Kouga.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Flooding-in-Kouga.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Flooding-in-Kouga.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297043"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=297043"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=297043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}