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Tag: Western Cape

  • Severe storm forces school closures in South Africa’s Western Cape

    Severe storm forces school closures in South Africa’s Western Cape

    A severe storm in South Africa’s Western Cape province, particularly affecting Cape Town, has led to the closure of schools in various districts, including the Cape Winelands and Overberg regions, as well as the Helderberg basin area.

    Education authorities announced the closure on Sunday, emphasizing the decision was made to prioritize the safety of students and staff. Western Cape Education Minister David Maynier underscored the importance of caution in such situations.

    Dramatic footage circulated on social media depicted strong winds toppling vehicles, including a truck, off a bridge. Other images showed vehicles overturned by the powerful gusts. Multiple roads were shut down to prevent accidents.

    Residents have been urged to refrain from unnecessary travel and to stay off the roads due to the dangerous conditions.

    In addition to vehicular incidents, the storm caused significant damage, including roof displacements, tree uprooting, and fueling wildfires.

    A wine farm in Stellenbosch and several properties in the Glencairn area were among the affected locations.

    The destructive winds are forecasted to persist into Monday, with warnings issued for heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding.

  • Western Cape in South Africa devastated by deadly floods

    At least 11 people died when strong rain and winds hit South Africa’s Western Cape province, including Cape Town, over the weekend. There was a lot of damage caused.

    Officials are cautioning that more people might die as the floodwater goes down.

    The bad weather caused flooding in homes, and damaged roofs, crops, roads, and other things.

    Rescue teams are still looking for people who may be stuck in homes that are partially under water.

    72 children and 10 grown-ups couldn’t leave a resort in Oudtshoorn because the Le Roux River next to it flooded. They were saved on Wednesday morning, after the water went down.

    Around 200 farm workers are stuck in places that have been separated due to flooding. We are trying hard to save them.

    According to Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, over 80 roads were shut down and approximately 15,000 homes lost electricity.

    Train services in certain areas of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces have temporarily halted.

    The floods had a big impact on the farmland in the area, which includes the famous vineyards. The harvests are expected to be very negatively affected.
    The Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, has asked for more help and support to deal with the consequences of the heavy rainfall.

    The city has shut down the Steenbras Nature Reserve and Gorge hiking route to see how the floods have affected them.

    Anton Bredell, a minister in charge of the environment, said that helicopters were looking for people who were stuck and needed help. “He said that we anticipate the most severe outcome there. ”

    The heavy rains that caused damage stopped on Monday. These rains happened one week after unusually high tides during the spring season.

    Climate change has been accused of causing certain recent weather events in South Africa.

    In 2022, heavy rain caused flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and over 430 people died. The coastal city of Gqeberha also faced a shortage of water last year.