Gift of the Giver has launched a crowdfunding appeal to support communities affected by heavy rains and flooding across the Western Cape, a BackaBuddy post on X detailed. (Image: X / BackaBuddy) 
Three days of heavy rainfall caused Cape Town’s stormwater systems to buckle under pressure. Streets in parts of the Cape Flats became rivers. Homes in informal settlements were inundated with water. On Sunday, the city’s Disaster Risk Management Centre confirmed that thousands of people had been displaced.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds battered large parts of the Western Cape, with Cape Town's informal settlements hardest hit. The South African Weather Service had issued warnings ahead of the heavy weather, but for many in flood-prone areas the damage was unavoidable.
Humanitarian response
Gift of the Givers launched emergency relief operations in areas including Khayelitsha, Langa, Gugulethu, Nyanga and Philippi.
The organisation reported that more than 10,000 residents of informal settlements were affected, and that it had received “SOS calls and WhatsApp messages” accompanied by “distressing images showing extensive damage to homes and widespread food contamination”.
After assisting more than 30,000 residents affected by flooding last week, the organisation deployed teams to distribute hot meals, blankets and warm clothing to assist those affected by the renewed flooding.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Image-3.jpg "The Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre remains on high alert following the severe weather that battered the province. (Image: Supplied / City of Cape Town)")
Widespread displacement
Charlotte Powell, the spokesperson for the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, said the flooding had caused widespread damage.
In Vygieskraal, around 500 informal structures were damaged when the nearby canal burst its banks, affecting about 2,000 residents. A further 150 RDP homes in the area sustained flood damage, displacing 750 people, while 200 structures in Haji Ebrahim Crescent were damaged, affecting 1,000 people.
About 400 homes in the Ark and Island sections of Makhaza in Khayelitsha were damaged.
Langa’s Intersite and Sanitizer settlements reported damage to 67 homes, affecting 240 people. In Masicendani, 80 people in 20 homes were affected. Strandfontein’s Kampies settlement saw 50 homes flooded, affecting 150 people.
Powell confirmed weather-related power outages in Langa, Athlone, Crawford and Rondebosch, which were being addressed by the energy department.
In addition, there were rockfalls on Victoria Road in Camps Bay.
Infrastructure under fire
Siyabulela Mamkeli, a Good party councillor in the City of Cape Town, criticised the municipality’s infrastructure management, saying the flooding “once again exposed systemic issues in the city’s infrastructure maintenance, particularly the stormwater drainage network”.
Mamkeli said that while heavy rainfall affected all areas in the city, “its consequences are disproportionately severe in townships, informal settlements, and the Cape Flats, where infrastructure is less robust and housing is more vulnerable”.
He said the Urban Mobility Directorate’s Roads Infrastructure Management Department failed to regularly clean drains, gullies and underground pipes, which were clogged with debris and sand.
He also highlighted a budget shortfall in the Catchment, Stormwater and River Management (CSRM) branch, noting that it “reportedly exhausted its budget in the third quarter of the last financial year”.
The CSRM is responsible for managing the city’s surface water resources, including rivers, canals, vleis, wetlands, estuaries and stormwater systems.
Ongoing response and support
The Disaster Risk Management Centre said all departments remained on high alert. “Our NGO partners have been busy this week, assisting residents who were impacted by the previous frontal systems — they too remain on hand,” said Powell.
Seven fire stations — Constantia, Goodwood, Hout Bay, Lakeside, Roeland Street, Strand and Wynberg — were designated as drop-off points for donations of non-perishable food.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Image-2.jpg "Following the torrential downpours at the weekend, Gift of the Givers deployed teams to provide hot meals, emergency relief and other essential support to affected communities. (Image: Supplied / Gift of the Givers)")
Rural disruptions, rising dam levels
The Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre said the worst of the heavy rainfall was over but warned that cold and damp conditions would persist. The Department of Water and Sanitation reported rising dam levels, with the Berg River Dam at 99%.
In rural areas, the Cape Winelands reported road closures in Drakenstein, Bonnievale and Slanghoek.
Gift of the Givers and the City of Cape Town called on the public for continued assistance. Relief efforts were ongoing, but conditions remained precarious for thousands of residents left vulnerable by damaged infrastructure and relentless rain. DM
To contribute to relief efforts, donations of non-perishable food can be dropped off at designated fire stations or coordinated via Disaster.Donations@capetown.gov.za.