Winter storm batters Western Cape — community underwater, thousands affected

A winter storm has devastated vulnerable communities across the Western Cape, with torrential rains and high winds causing extensive flooding that has damaged hundreds of homes, washed away roads and displaced thousands of residents.

The severe weather, which prompted warnings of disruptive rainfall, damaging winds and heavy snowfall, has triggered a large-scale humanitarian response to assist the hardest-hit communities.

On Thursday, 26 June, Gift of the Givers delivered hot meals, blankets and warm clothing, baby care packs, essential hygiene and emergency supplies to vulnerable communities hit by the flooding across the Western Cape.

One of these was Middelpos in Saldanha Bay, which was submerged on Wednesday, according to Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers. Hundreds of structures were underwater and 600 people needed assistance. This is just one area where full-scale humanitarian operations began on Thursday, along with Cape Town.

Read more: Widespread floods hit Cape Town after Western Cape cold front, snow forecast for Eastern Cape

The South African Weather Service (Saws) warned the public and small stock farmers that very cold and windy conditions were expected to continue over the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, southern part of the Northern Cape and in places in the Free State on Friday.

They indicated that isolated to scattered showers and rain were expected over the central and southern parts of the country, but widespread in the southwest.

Snow is also expected on the high-lying areas in the Cape provinces with damaging winds and waves, disruptive rainfall and snow.

Voices from the floodwaters

For those caught in the deluge, the experience was nothing short of a nightmare. Luvo Cekiso, a 20-year-old resident of Middelpos, found himself waking up to a house full of water. He is now taking shelter with his family at the House of David Church, a space now filled with mattresses and blankets donated for the displaced.

“We have a tavern at my house… I was sleeping as usual. I heard some knocks, but then I ignored them. I thought that someone wanted beer… All along, the knocks were from my cousin, who saw the flooding first… After so many attempts of knocking, trying to wake me up,” said Cekiso.

When he did get up, Cekiso said: “When I took the first steps, that’s when I realised, I’m also in water. That’s when I realised the dining room is affected, the kitchen, the tavern as well, the whole house.

“I was walking on water, barefoot… It’s [the water] deep… the dishes were floating. Everything was just a mess,” said Cekiso.

He said they immediately rushed to move their belongings and see what could be salvaged. Most of this was electrical appliances, and as they were selling alcohol on the premises, they had to make sure the fridges and cooking appliances were okay.

Cekiso said, “I’m so fortunate because the first time I experienced this, it did not affect me. I just saw my neighbours being affected by the floods. It did not happen in the house. Then the second time, that’s where I got to experience it.”

He was shivering while speaking, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts because that’s all that he had on when he evacuated.

But still, Cekiso said he was fortunate because of his age. He said many younger children and their mothers were floating in the flood on Wednesday.

Cekiso is part of a soccer team coached by Middelpos community leader Arthur Nombewu.

In the wake of severe flooding in Middelpos, Nombewu described a dire situation that, while recurrent, had been particularly devastating this year.

Nombewu said, “What has happened… No one expected it… I remember it was about 4pm when I received a call to say that there were people that had been affected. So we did not waste time and rushed to see what was happening, and we could see that a lot of people were [in the] flooding… What touched me was, there were kids in some of the rooms and in some of the places.”

He and others quickly mobilised, discovering many residents, including children, in flooded homes.

Immediate relief efforts saw the House of David Church open its doors to displaced families, providing temporary shelter. Sea Harvest also contributed by supplying mattresses and blankets for those affected.

However, the crisis is far from over. “I can say there is more that is still stuck inside,” Nombewu said on Wednesday, noting that some residents were hesitant to leave their properties for fear of losing their belongings.

The material damage has been significant, with some families losing everything.

Nombewu recounted the story of a woman who lost all her possessions and had to shelter in a car with her two-year-old son. While no physical injuries have been reported, he was concerned about the health implications of prolonged exposure to floodwater.

Fear of what lies ahead

With the start of winter, there is significant worry about what lies ahead. “I’m more worried about this winter. I’m really worried because… I’ve never seen something like this in Middelpos,” said Nombewu.

He pointed out that even after the floodwaters recede, which could take up to four days in some places, returning people to the same vulnerable homes would only lead to a repeat of the disaster.

Nombewu attributed the recurring floods to a fundamental drainage problem and criticised the repetitive cycle of temporary solutions, calling for the municipality to investigate and address the root cause.

He said that relocating people from the affected area might be the only viable long-term solution.

Nombewu said there was a challenge in the relief efforts as there was much division within the community, with some residents reluctant to accept help due to political affiliations, which slowed down the response.

“If it’s a disaster, it’s affecting everyone. It’s affecting humanity… We as human beings… we need to serve one another,” he said.

Christine Beukes (44), a resident in the Saldanha community, said that the past 24 hours had been a nightmare for her and her family, as well as their neighbours. They had their homes flooded by the stormwater, affecting their clothes, food, furniture and all their belongings.

“It’s painful, but tears don’t help… We had to wait for the rain to stop, and it didn’t stop quickly. When it stopped, we still had to wait for the dump of water to [subside],

“Your kids can die, that’s how strong the water comes into Middelpos and other areas too,” said Beukes.

Beukes said she first realised the scale of the storm when her husband called out to her that their house was flooding.

“I got up and had to walk through the water… I was scared, because I saw the water coming and I’m thinking, I’ve got kids, how am I going to rescue them because there was a dam of water and it [was] coming strong towards us,” said Beukes.

Beukes had tears in her eyes as she said she felt “locked in” with her four children, who were at home with them.

But she said, “Jesus was with us, I must say, Jesus was with us,” because they were able to escape, despite the strong current.

Climate change, infrastructure and a housing mandate

Saldanha Bay Mayor André Truter addressed the severe flooding in Middelpos, saying that the extreme weather was a clear effect of climate change in a historically dry area.

“This is a low-rainfall area, so our system is not designed like Cape Town to take deluges. This is actually a semi-arid area, so this is unknown to us,” Truter said, noting that such events were now occurring annually.

He pointed out that Middelpos was a “historical problem” as people had settled on a floodplain over the past decade. But community members told Daily Maverick that they had spent years on the housing list, waiting for homes to become available and that they had nowhere else to go.

The recent deluge, which began early on Wednesday morning, caused significant overnight flooding, submerging the settlement. Truter confirmed that the municipality’s disaster management centre was activated to try to reduce the flooding.

A major contributing factor to the flooding in Middelpos, according to Truter, was excessive littering, which clogged the pump system and stormwater trenches.

When asked about the affected residents, Truter said that for those who were displaced, the municipality preferred not to open community halls due to “social issues” such as a lack of toilets and unsuitable mixed accommodation.

Instead, he said the community and support structures, including churches and neighbours, had been asked to assist by opening their homes.

The Saldanha Bay Safety Initiative (SPSI), working with local authorities and the private sector, including Gift of the Givers, was focusing on humanitarian aid and clearing the area.

Addressing the recurring nature of the floods in Middelpos and the issue of building homes on the floodplain, Truter said that housing was a national government mandate.

Despite criticisms from some community members about assistance being concentrated in Middelpos, Truter assured that municipal teams were deployed across all affected areas.

Western Cape remains on high alert

Western Cape authorities remain on high alert as adverse weather conditions persist, with disaster management teams actively providing humanitarian relief across the province.

Anton Bredell, the Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, urged people to remain vigilant as the cold and wet weather continued on Thursday after heavy rain and rough winds had battered communities across the province on Wednesday.

The high-risk areas were low-lying, flood-prone informal settlements and communities near rivers, streams and stormwater channels. Bredell said that provincial and local disaster management teams were monitoring the situation and coordinating with municipalities and emergency services.

Their efforts on Thursday included distributing sandbags, clearing blocked drains and conducting damage assessments.

Saws has kept a Level 4 warning for damaging waves in place, along with Level 2 warnings for disruptive rain and strong winds for parts of the Western Cape. The weather system has now moved towards the south coast, with strong winds anticipated along the Overberg and Garden Route coastlines.

The City of Cape Town also reported localised flooding in both formal and informal settlements, which resulted in disruptions to roads and stormwater infrastructure.

In the Cape Winelands District, Bredell said the Breede River was overflowing on Wednesday. Consequently, the Slanghoek and Scherpenheuwel bridges were closed, as was Slanghoek Road at the low-water drift. Merwestraat in Worcester was being monitored and may also be closed. The Drakenstein area also experienced localised flooding.

In Wellington, a hazardous materials incident occurred on Wednesday morning when a tanker carrying nitric acid overturned. The vehicle was intact. No injuries were reported and a diesel spill was contained. The road was temporarily closed, with motorists advised to use Hermon Road.

In the West Coast and Saldanha Bay, local authorities activated emergency protocols and response teams were deployed.

Bredell said, “We call on the public to stay alert, stay informed, and stay safe. Your cooperation is vital in helping us protect lives and reduce risk during this period of severe weather. Emergency services are fully mobilised and remain on 24/7 standby to respond as needed.” DM

Western Cape Emergency Contact Numbers:

• City of Cape Town: 107 (landline) / 021 480 7700 / 080 911 4357
• ⁠Cape Winelands District Municipality: 021 886 9144 / 021 887 4446
• ⁠Garden Route District Municipality: 044 805 5071
• Central Karoo District Municipality: 023 449 8000
• West Coast District Municipality: 022 495 0229 / 0231
• ⁠Overberg District Municipality: 028 425 1690