The agricultural and rail sectors are grappling to assess the extent of the damage caused by a series of cold fronts that have battered the Western Cape province.
Meanwhile, service teams across the province are overwhelmed with requests to attend to damaged housing structures, electrical networks and communication infrastructure.
Also read: Western Cape flooding claims two lives and displaces thousands
According to the Cape Times, Jannie Strydom, the CEO of Agri Western Cape, highlighted the significant challenge the agricultural sector faces as a result of deteriorated irrigation infrastructure along the rivers. Access roads are posing a major obstacle for farmers trying to transport their produce to the market.
The Cape Winelands and Matzikama regions are reportedly among the hardest-hit areas, with crops like citrus, potatoes, table grapes and wine grapes affected.
‘Commodities affected at this stage are citrus and the harvesting of potatoes, as well as long-term crops that got damaged as well. This includes table grapes and wine grapes,’ said Strydom.
On Monday, the South African Weather Service issued a level 5 damaging winds advisory, cautioning about the potential harm to housing structures, infrastructure and trees. In response to the dire situation, a large-scale relief operation involving the South African Air Force, Gift of the Givers Foundation, SAPS and the provincial Traffic Department was launched to evacuate areas and towns cut off during the recent storms.
The Gift of the Givers Foundation has mobilised its teams to provide assistance and supplies to flood victims in Rawsonville, where over 1 280 people were affected and 340 structures were destroyed.
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has implemented contingency plans in areas where the rail infrastructure has been damaged.
Bonginkosi Mabaso, TFR’s chief commercial officer, assured the public that repair and recovery efforts are underway to ensure safe train operations.
‘Our technical teams have put various interventions in place for a swift turnaround in infrastructure repairs and recovery to ensure safe train operations,’ said Mabaso, according to the Cape Times.
Meanwhile, the city’s disaster risk management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan, emphasised the ongoing assessment of infrastructure damage. The city is inundated with requests for flood-related assistance from residents. Eskom reported multiple electrical faults, leaving customers in Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay and Grabouw farms without power. Eskom teams are working tirelessly to restore electricity supply to affected areas.
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‘The unplanned outage affecting Grabouw farms is the result of theft and vandalism at the Nabo Substation. Eskom operators are on site, working around the clock to bring back the electricity supply to customers in the area. In terms of city infrastructure, it will take some time to determine whether anything has been affected to the extent that it requires repairs or replacement,’ said Lategan.
The full extent of the damage and necessary repairs to the city’s infrastructure are yet to be determined. The continuous rainfall has hampered progress in addressing issues such as flooded roads, power outages and uprooted trees. However, efforts to mitigate the impact of the adverse weather have been ongoing since the first cold front struck earlier this month.
The hope is that drier days ahead will contribute to the subsiding of water levels in flooded areas. Nevertheless, the SA Weather Service has issued a warning about level 5 damaging winds, which could further impede recovery efforts.
Reports of flooding are still being received at the Disaster Operations Centre and ongoing humanitarian relief efforts will be provided where needed. Premier Alan Winde and Local Government MEC Anton Bredell are scheduled to provide an update on the flooding response by disaster management stakeholders.
The focus has shifted from immediate disaster mitigation and humanitarian aid to damage assessment and infrastructure rebuilding. Repair work continues in areas experiencing power outages and efforts are underway to restore electricity supply to affected regions.
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