A storm-damaged Clicks store in Kenilworth, Cape Town. (Photo: Madeleine Fullard/ X) “When the wind started to blow, we heard a big sound from the other side of Lwandle. During the day, the water [started coming] inside. My kids called me to tell me the house is full of water. When I came back, I saw that everything was full of water,” said Ukho Sowassi, a resident of Lwandle informal settlement in Cape Town, which, much like the rest of the Western Cape, has been hard hit by heavy downpours.
This latest bout of inclement weather comes hot on the heels of sustained adverse weather in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and several other parts of South Africa last week.
On Sunday, a cut-off low system and a strong cold front made landfall in the Western Cape, followed by a second, more powerful cold front reaching land on Monday, causing the extreme weather to intensify. The South African Weather Services (SAWS) issued a variety of warnings urging residents to prepare for severe weather on Monday, with conditions expected to continue into Tuesday.
/file/attachments/orphans/1000234426_520959.jpg "A second cold front has made landfall in the Western Cape, causing flooding in several informal settlements and townships in Cape Town. (Photo: Gift of the Givers)")
SAWS has issued a Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall and gale-force winds over Cape Town in addition to the mountain regions of Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, Breede Valley, Witzenberg and the western parts of Theewaterskloof.
The weather service warned that heavy rainfall could lead to flooding of roads and bridges, as well as of formal and informal settlements. SAWS added that mudslides and fast-flowing rivers could also create life-threatening conditions.
The repercussions of the heavy downpours are already playing out on the ground in the Mother City. On Monday, the City of Cape Town said it was attending to a variety of weather-related incidents in several areas, including flooding, fallen trees, electricity outages, water outages, damaged traffic lights and roofs blown off as a result of the extreme weather.
/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_9263copy_531282.jpg "A rooftop blown away by heavy winds in Cape Town. (Photo: X)")
SAWS meteorologist Lehlohonolo Thobela told Daily Maverick that two cold fronts making landfall so close to each other are the reason for the intensity of the storm.
“We’re still in the forecastle, about 100 to 200 millimetres of rainfall is expected, especially over the west coast into the Cape Winelands as well as … into the Overberg municipalities in the Western Cape,” said Thobela, adding that wind speeds were expected to reach above 100km/h.
/file/attachments/orphans/697792635_1405816721585605_8659377542528005474_n_140494.jpg "The City is attending to multiple incidents, including flooding, fallen trees, electricity outages, water outages, damaged traffic lights and roofs blown off due to strong winds and severe weather conditions. (Photo: Supplied)")
School suspended
While the weather prevented many learners from attending school on Monday, the Western Cape Department of Education has decided to close schools across the province on Tuesday, 12 May, in the interest of learner and teacher safety.
“Our default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but we are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place. We will continuously monitor and evaluate the situation to ensure that schools can reopen as soon as possible, which is currently expected to be on Wednesday, 13 May 2026,” said David Maynier, Western Cape MEC for Education.
Maynier said several schools were damaged in the storm.
/file/attachments/orphans/696683869_18402066868148438_2400417532170718319_n_728288.jpg "Fallen trees damaged buildings at Beaumont Primary School in Somerset West. (Photo: Social Media / Facebook)")
Flood-battered communities count the cost
The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell confirmed that several vulnerable communities had been hardest hit, with flooding reported in informal settlements including Island, Makhaza and Monwabisi in Khayelitsha, Imizamo Yethu, Nomzamo, Lwandle, Phola Park, Gugulethu, Valhalla Park, Vygieskraal, Tafelsig, Delft and Kampies.
Humanitarian organisations such as Gift of the Givers have since been deployed to affected communities, distributing hot meals and blankets to displaced residents.
/file/attachments/orphans/1000234413_494235.jpg "Gift of the Givers on the ground in Lwandle informal settlement in Cape Town, offering relief to thousands of residents who have been affected by the heavy rains that hit the Western Cape on Monday, 11 May 2026. (Photo: Gift of the Givers)")
Spokesperson Ali Sablay said Gift of the Givers teams had been inundated with calls for assistance across Cape Town, Drakenstein and Franschhoek.
“Residents of the Langrug informal settlement have suffered extensive damage, with strong winds ripping off roofs, trees falling on to homes and widespread flooding reported throughout the area. The majority of homes in the Lwandle informal settlement have also been flooded,” Sablay said.
/file/attachments/orphans/1000234427_307199.jpg "Gift of the Givers’ spokesperson Albi Sablay on the scene to help residents during Monday’s storm. The aid organisation was in Nomzamo and Lwandle, where residents have been severely hit by extreme rainfall. (Photo: Gift of the Givers)")
Floodwaters have also disrupted formal residential areas, with reports of a flooded daycare centre in Mitchells Plain and severe waterlogging at the intersection of Mercury and Galaxy Roads in Rocklands. Across the city, homes have suffered wind and water damage, with roofs torn off or badly damaged in Lavender Hill, Gugulethu, Crossroads, Philippi, Portlands, Delft and Wynberg.
Authorities warned that the Vygieskraal Canal in Belgravia had exceeded capacity and was overflowing, raising fears of further flooding.
Road networks across Cape Town have also been severely affected. Major flooding has been reported on Rosmead Avenue in Wynberg, several roads in Mitchells Plain and Dido Valley Road in the Deep South, while dangerous rockfalls on Chapman’s Peak and Ou Kaapse Weg have created additional hazards for motorists.
/file/attachments/orphans/697354408_1405817451585532_6855646052888924758_n_354615.jpg "The City is attending to multiple weather-related incidents in many areas, including flooding such as in Rockley Road, Wynberg (above), fallen trees, electricity outages, water outages, damaged traffic lights and roofs blown off due to strong winds and severe weather conditions. (Photo: City of Cape Town / Facebook)")
The storm’s impact has extended beyond flooding. Uprooted trees have been reported across the metro – from the M3 to Somerset West – in some cases damaging power lines and causing electricity outages.
Tragically, the severe weather has already claimed at least one life. A motorist was killed in Kenilworth after a tree collapsed on a vehicle, while another person was injured in Parow in an incident involving a falling tree.
/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_9262copy_692919.jpg "A car damaged by a fallen tree in Tennant Road, Wynberg, Cape Town. (Photo: X)")
Emergency services remain on high alert as officials monitor conditions and urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel and report emergencies immediately.
While the orange level 8 warning remains in place, Thobela said the heavy rains were expected to dissipate only from Wednesday afternoon, 13 May, when there will be a 60% chance of showers.
Train services disrupted
The inclement weather has resulted in disruptions to Metrorail services, with Prasa Western Cape issuing a notice alerting commuters that services on the Southern Line, Monte Vista and Cape Flats lines had been temporarily suspended.
When Daily Maverick visited Rondebosch Station just before 5pm, the entrance to the platform was covered in water. A local shopkeeper said that the trains had been disrupted since 8am due to debris falling on the tracks. DM
Additional reporting by Tamsin Metelerkamp.
