Waterproofing and damp proofing in the Eastern Cape
In Nelson Mandela Bay, two of the worst recent floods came in June and October, outside the months most people think of as the rainy season. Plan your waterproofing around that.
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The Eastern Cape sits between South Africa's summer-rainfall and winter-rainfall regions, and its heaviest rain doesn't keep to a timetable. Researchers list cut-off lows, weather systems that break away from the main westerly flow, among the important producers of rain in the region. A severe cut-off low brought the June 2025 floods that killed at least 39 people in the OR Tambo district, and Nelson Mandela Bay has had its own run of floods.
For homeowners, that changes two things: when you can safely do exterior waterproofing, and how you protect the lowest parts of a house that may see water again.
Repeat floods in Nelson Mandela Bay
Over the night of 1 to 2 June 2024, about 200 mm of rain fell on parts of the metro, and one station in Kariega measured 226 mm. Seven people died, more than 1,000 were evacuated, and one resident told GroundUp their house flooded in under three minutes. Daily Maverick reported both formal and informal houses in low-lying areas affected. Less than five months later, between a Monday morning and the early hours of Tuesday in October 2024, Kariega had another 136 mm and Gqeberha 118 mm. The Herald reported families leaving their homes again, afraid of a repeat, with Despatch, KwaZakhele, Motherwell and Algoa Park also hard hit.
If your home has flooded once, assume it could flood again. When you repair it, ask the contractor about choices that recover better from water: plaster and paint that can dry out rather than trap moisture, a damp-proof course that's checked and repaired rather than plastered over, and ground levels and paving that send water away from the walls rather than towards them.
No dependable dry season on the coast
A Climate Dynamics study of the province's rainfall found the coastal zone gets roughly equal shares of its rain in spring and summer, about 30% each, with the rest spread across autumn and winter. Summer dominates only in the northern interior, at 40 to 45% of the year's rain.
Torch-on and liquid membranes, wall coatings and new plaster all need a dry surface and time to cure. In Gqeberha, Kariega and along the coast, that means booking around a few dry days on the forecast, not around a season. Ask the contractor how they'll protect half-finished work if rain arrives, and how long each coat needs before it can get wet. Inland, around Komani and Mthatha, the drier winter months are the safer window.
Clay soils in parts of the province
Expansive clays occur in certain areas of the Eastern Cape, according to a 2024 geotechnical paper from the Central University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology. These soils swell when wet and shrink when dry, cracking foundations and walls, and the cracks let rain in. If your damp patches sit next to cracks that open and close with the seasons, ask whether the contractor has considered soil movement, and use flexible crack repairs rather than rigid ones.
Waterproofing and Damp Proofing prices in the Eastern Cape
We haven't found published waterproofing prices for Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha or anywhere else in the Eastern Cape. The guides we checked give figures for Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban only, so there's no evidence that work here costs more or less than the national ranges in the waterproofing cost guide.
If you're repairing after a flood, ask for stripping wet plaster, drying time and replastering to be shown as separate lines, so you can see what the waterproofing itself costs and what your insurer is covering.
Where in the Eastern Cape
You can request quotes from anywhere in the province, including Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Gqeberha, Kariega, East London, Mthatha, Makhanda, Komani, Jeffreys Bay, Port Alfred. Choose your region and suburb in the form, and providers who cover your area will quote.
Waterproofing and Damp Proofing in the Eastern Cape: questions
When is the best time for waterproofing in Gqeberha?
There isn't a guaranteed dry season. Rain on the Eastern Cape coast is spread through the year, and recent floods came in June and October. Book a contractor who will work to the forecast, needs only a few dry days for each stage, and can protect the work if rain arrives early.
My Kariega home flooded in 2024. What should I fix first?
Make sure the walls have dried out, then deal with the water paths: ground and paving levels, drainage, and a damp-proof course that's still working. Only then replaster and paint, using finishes that let the wall dry. You can request up to 3 [waterproofing quotes](/services/waterproofing-and-damp-proofing) free to compare approaches.
Is the rainy season the same in Mthatha and Gqeberha?
No. The northern interior gets 40 to 45% of its rain in summer, while the coast gets similar amounts in spring and summer and some in every season. Inland, schedule exterior work for winter. On the coast, plan around the weather forecast instead.
Sources
- Drought in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa and trends in rainfall characteristics, Mahlalela, Blamey, Hart and Reason, Climate Dynamics, 2020
- Seven die in floods in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, GroundUp, June 2024
- EC floods: Two dead, four missing as destructive floods lash Nelson Mandela Bay, Daily Maverick, 2 June 2024
- Memory of June floods comes back to haunt Kariega residents, The Herald, 22 October 2024
- Eastern Cape in crisis: Floods and landslides displace thousands, government and NGOs rally together, Daily Maverick, 11 June 2025
- Investigation into an adopted design procedure for raft foundations of light structures on expansive soils located in the Free State, Bester et al., ARCSMGE 2024
Last updated 28 October 2026.
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