More cold conditions are on the cards for Cape Town, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), in the wake of a week of wet and windy weather that caused extensive damage in the Western Cape province.
Also read: Agriculture loss, infrastructure damage and power outages plague the WC
At least two more cold fronts are due to hit the Mother City in the coming days.
This comes as humanitarian relief continues after torrential rains and gale-force winds along the West Coast following an Orange level 5 warning for wind and waves over the Northern and Western Cape areas.
Adverse weather also saw the closure of the Huguenot Tunnel.
Speaking to IOL, ward councillor Peter Helfrich said it was the “worst flood in decades”, adding that residents in Sandvlei and Faure in Macassar were displaced following torrential downpours.
‘Many residents lost most of their belongings which included appliances, furniture, clothes, important documentation and various other important items,’ he said.
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Helfrich added that flooding occurred in informal settlements, largely due to their being situated in low-lying terrain, including waterlogged areas, wetlands and floodplains.
He added that the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management and Fire and Rescue Services worked tirelessly throughout this period to keep residents safe.
‘We have not had any deaths in our area since the flooding started. I would like to thank them for their commendable efforts,’ he said.
Meanwhile, SAWS forecaster Lebogang Makgathi told ENCA that the next cold front was expected to make landfall on Saturday, with the next expected on Monday.
‘We do expect some sunny conditions from Thursday and Friday. It sounds unbelievable, but temperatures will start to recover and we should see highs in the upper teens,’ she said.
Makgathi said another cold front was expected on Saturday morning, accompanied by light rain for the afternoon and a reprieve on Sunday.
‘There is another system coming through that we are currently monitoring, a possible cut-off low-pressure system that will affect the Western Cape from Monday,’ she said.
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Picture: ER Lombard / Gallo Images