A significant earthquake, measuring approximately 5.3 on the Richter scale, jolted the Northern Cape in the early hours of Sunday, 22 December 2024, sending tremors across a vast area and leaving residents from Cape Town to the Northern Cape shaken and sharing their experiences online. The quake, which struck at 2:51 am, was followed by an aftershock of around 2.9 magnitude at 5:28 am, according to the Council for Geoscience (CGS).
The CGS, confirming the USGS report, pinpointed the epicentre roughly 20km southwest of Buchufontein in the Northern Cape, at a depth of 10km. Spokesperson Mahlatse Mononela stated: "The epicentres were located within 20km, south-west of Buchufontein in the Northern Cape. There are reports of aftershocks that have been felt in other parts of the country which are currently being analysed."
The earthquake's impact extended far beyond the epicentre. Residents in Cape Town, Stilbaai, Jongensfontein, Paarl, Namaqualand, Mossel Bay, and Vanrhynsdorp all reported feeling the tremor. Descriptions varied, from the subtle rattling of beds and Christmas lights to more pronounced rumbling sounds.
Lila Ferrer, a resident of Stilbaai, described her experience on Facebook: "I was still awake at 02:50 when all of a sudden, there was this rumbling sound. The dogs started to bark, and the windows trembled for about 10 seconds or so. I instantly knew there had been an earthquake, but the report was posted only an hour or so later," she added. "It's crazy that we felt it so strongly almost 600km away!"
In Cape Town, Tamara Bota initially believed she was dreaming: "I woke up when the bed moved, and I lay still for a moment because I thought it was a dream. I've been awake since," she said. "I even checked if all the windows were closed because I still couldn't explain the moving bed while I was sleeping. Seeing the posts online about the earthquake helped me understand because I was so confused."
Another Capetonian, Mulisa Mlanjeni, shared her humorous reaction on Facebook: "I was asleep and shocked awake when I realised what was happening in this [shaking] bed," she shared. "I'm still sitting here in shock." She added jokingly, "I'm glad no one had a picture of me when I felt the shaking because of the way I jumped."
A resident in Parow, Cape Town, added a touch of local colour to the online reports on volcanodiscovery.com: "My bed started shaking … thought a snake or a tokoloshe had come in lol." A George resident described seeing their Christmas tree lights swaying.
Further afield, a truck driver approximately 5km north of Brandvlei recounted his experience on volcanodiscovery.com: he was sleeping when his vehicle began shaking, accompanied by a noise that lasted about 10 seconds.
In the heart of the affected region, Drienie Visser, a farmer living about 40km from Loeriesfontein, provided a powerful account to Daily Maverick: “Our whole house shook and I thought it would fall apart. That was the worst earthquake we’ve ever had,” she said. She and her husband awoke to what sounded like thunder, followed by intense vibrations. “My husband and I were lying in bed holding each other thinking we would just have to die together,” she recounted.
Lettie Malan, a sheep farmer near Loeriesfontein, echoed Visser's sentiments: “It was quite dramatic and was actually the worst one we have felt over here, I think because we are quite close to the epicentre.” She and her husband, along with guests from Cape Town, were jolted awake by the shaking headboard of their bed.
Franchwa Batt, chairperson of the Loeriesfontein Farmers’ Union in Uitspankolk, described the quake as "like one big shot going off, and then everything started drilling, the windows started rattling and everything.” He noted that while they experience earthquakes in the area, this one was exceptionally strong.
Professor Raymond Durrheim, a professor in the School of Geosciences, provided expert context: “This region is known for swarms and clusters of seismic events. There was a 4.3 [magnitude] earthquake on 3 December 2024 near Komaggas that was felt in Springbok, [and] two events with [a magnitude of greater than five] occurred in the 1970s.” He also noted that the CGS reported 10 aftershocks in the hours following the main event, with the largest measuring 2.3. He warned that aftershocks could continue for weeks or months.
Despite the widespread impact, Hantam municipal manager Jannie Fortuin reported no injuries or damage to infrastructure. However, the farmers' union expressed concern about potential damage to boreholes, crucial in the drought-stricken region.
