News24 | Mop-up operations begin after heavy rains flood parts of Cape Town

• Heavy rainfall over the weekend has resulted in some localised flooding in parts of Cape Town.
• Disaster Risk Management teams are out on the ground in various areas doing assessments on the reported damage.
• Authorities have warned that more rain can be expected.

Mop-up operations are under way across parts of Cape Town after heavy weekend downpours triggered localised flooding, but authorities warn the situation remains precarious with more rain expected in the coming days.

Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell said only “some isolated flooding” had been reported, which the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management teams had managed.

“From a provincial perspective, our disaster centre is monitoring the situation, and we are in contact with our district disaster centres. Nothing major has been reported so far. We are expecting another 30mm of rain today [Monday],” Bredell added.

SA Weather Service spokesperson Tokelo Chiloane said about 50mm of rain was recorded in the south-western parts of the Western Cape in the last 24 hours.

She added 63mm was recorded in Stellenbosch, 53mm in Ceres, and 49mm in Bellville. 

“We have no reports of dams overflowing, especially in the Western Cape. The Western Cape is a winter rainfall region, which means that [it] gets [its] rainfall from winter weather systems such as cold fronts,” said Chiloane, adding that the weekend saw two cold fronts in the province.

She added that isolated showers and rain were expected in places over the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape due to the passage of weak cold fronts throughout the week.

“No significant amount of rainfall is expected at this stage.”

Chiloane said a Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging waves and coastal winds for Monday and Tuesday for the entire Western Cape coastline was issued on Monday.

“Since we are heading into the winter season where rainfall and veld fires coexist in the Western Cape, we advise the public to take note of flooded bridges, avoid driving over an overflowing bridge, refrain from starting fires when the fire index is high, [and] avoid going to the beach when there is damaging wind and/or waves warning along the coast,” she added.

Meanwhile, the City said the inclement weather had caused “high service request volumes” and heavy rain was delaying restoration times.

“The City apologises for the inconvenience while our teams attend to electricity area faults [outages impacting entire streets and surrounds], primarily due to the stormy, wet weather.

It added:

The City’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Sonia Lategan, said teams were still on the ground conducting assessments in affected areas, including the Mkhonto Square informal settlement in Nyanga and Brown’s Farm, because “widespread areas were affected by localised flooding as a result of the downpours over the weekend”.

Lategan added that reports of flooding were also received from the Europe informal settlement in Gugulethu, Gaba Village, and Avon Heights in Leonsdale and Elsies River.

“After assessments, it was determined that the main problems were leaking roofs and wet floors.”

According to her, the Dunoon community also experienced “significant flooding of roads” around Silverleaf and Orchard roads.

“Our department was on site to assess temporary measures, including flow diversions and property protection, and is implementing what is feasible to reduce flooding impacts,” Lategan said.

She added that there were no displacements and that Road Infrastructure Management was activated to assist with sand/milling in affected areas, and an informal settlement management branch was requested to assist with plastic sheeting.

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Lategan said localised flooding reports were being channelled through the Transport Management Centre for intervention by roads and stormwater teams.

“There has also been localised flooding of roads, and in Simon’s Town, water couldn’t clear quickly enough due to the heavy downpours,” she added, noting that no major residential impact had been reported at this stage.

However, humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said it had been inundated with calls for help from communities hardest hit by the rain.

On Monday morning, teams were deployed to Dunoon, where residents had already begun sweeping water out of their homes as the rain subsided.

Resident Linda Potelwa described Sunday night’s downpour as “terrible”, saying both her kitchen and bedroom were flooded.

She added:

Potelwa said her two children only left for school after 09:00 once the rain eased.

“Luckily, their school clothes were not wet, but the boys wanted to stay at home and help me clean the water out, but I said they must go so I can clean the place up while they’re gone.”

She added that Gift of the Givers teams were already in the area, assisting residents with food and blankets and helping clear water from flooded homes.

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Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay said the organisation had received calls for assistance from multiple informal settlements across the Cape metro and Drakenstein areas, as ongoing rainfall led to widespread flooding.

“Our teams are currently engaging with community leaders and local councillors to assess the extent of the impact and coordinate an effective response.

“Activation of relief efforts will commence shortly to provide support and assistance to affected families and communities,” Sablay added.

He said hot meals, blankets, detergent packs, hygiene packs and warm clothing would be distributed to affected families.

Areas that have requested assistance include Lwandle, Nomzamo, Strand, Valhalla Park, Mitchells Plain, Philippi, Dunoon, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Gugulethu, and Kayamandi.

City traffic chief Kevin Jacobs said no major disruptions had been reported, although the left lane on Rhodes Drive was flooded.

Meanwhile, political parties have weighed in on the flooding.

GOOD party councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli criticised the City over repeated flooding in low-lying communities, accusing it of failing to properly maintain and upgrade its stormwater infrastructure.

Mamkeli said the annual “winter readiness” messaging from the City amounted to little more than public relations, while residents continued to suffer during heavy rains.

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“Every year, the same cycle repeats itself. The City rolls out a ‘winter readiness’ campaign, showcases teams cleaning manholes and sweeping roads, and assures residents that it is prepared.

“Then the rain arrives and the same roads flood, the same areas choke, and the same communities are left stranded.”

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula also entered the debate on social media, posting videos of flooding in Dunoon on his X account and directing criticism at the DA’s leaders.

Mbalula called on the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral hopeful, Helen Zille, to “swim in right where her DA governs, Cape Town”, in a pointed reference to Zille’s recent social media post highlighting potholes in Johannesburg.

Patriotic Alliance mayoral candidate councillor Cheslyn Steenberg visited Dunoon on Monday, where he said the flooding of informal settlements and low-income areas was the result of systemic failure rather than natural disasters.

“The repeated flooding of Dunoon and other low-income communities in Cape Town is not an act of nature,” Steenberg added.

“It is a man-made crisis caused by years of neglect, failure to plan, and an unacceptable tolerance for suffering in poor areas by the DA-led City of Cape Town.”

He said the annual winter flooding cycle was predictable and preventable, arguing that the City was well aware of the areas most affected.

“Every winter, the same communities are submerged, homes are destroyed, possessions lost, and livelihoods interrupted.

“This devastation is entirely predictable. The City knows exactly where flooding occurs, when it occurs, and why it occurs – yet it is allowed to happen again and again,” added Steenberg.

The City had previously stated that it continued to invest in stormwater maintenance and infrastructure upgrades ahead of the winter season.