Langeberg Municipality said community halls in Bonnievale, Ashton, Mantagu and Robertson have been opened to provide shelter for those stranded and affected by the Western Cape storm.
The following community halls are open:
- Bonnievale: Happy Valley Hall, New Cross Street
- Ashton: Barnard Hall, Uitspan Street
- Montagu: Montagu Hall, Wilhelm Thys Avenue
- Robertson:
- Robertson Civic, Hospital Avenue
- Side Hall and pavilion ablution facilities at Callie de Wet Hall, Church Street
- Langeberg Secondary School Hall, Hahn Street
- Nkqubela Hall, Nentza Street, Nkqubela
Motorists opting to sleep in their car are urged to remove any valuable items from their vehicles and to sleep close to a police station, petrol station or well lit area.
‘In case of an emergency, call our 24/7 Emergency Call Centre at 0860 88 1111, WhatsApp 065 211 7822 or email [email protected],’ said the municipality in a Facebook post.
Picture: Langeberg website
An accident occurred on Jakes Gerwel Drive, near Vangate Mall in Athlone involving a collision between a truck and a minibus taxi.
Traffic services are on scene.
UPDATE:
Western Cape minister of mobility Ricardo Mackenzie urges motorists to not leave their current location after severe rainfall and flooding have resulted in significant disruptions to mobility across the province.
‘Wherever possible, we urge residents to not leave their current location and delay their travel due to widespread road closures and unsafe conditions on the roads,’ said Mackenzie in a statement.
‘Motorists who are already travelling on affected routes are asked to please consider turning back and finding alternative accommodation for the night.’
Road closures are in affect on all major roadways, including the N1, N2, R60, R62 and various other woads across the province with traffic moving very slowly on heavily congested routes near Worcester, as all traffic from the N2 has been diverted to the N1.
Mackenzie added that a safe alternative route for traffic delayed on the R60 between Robertson and Worcester is yet to be identified.
‘Members of the public are asked to please not use this route but rather make alternative accommodation arrangements for the night to allow officials time to reopen routes safely,’ said Mackenzie.
Teams from the department of infrastructure are working towards restoring damaged roadways as quickly as possible while provincial traffic law enforcement assist local authorities with traffic control.
‘Please be patient and take extra care if you must travel. Increase your following distances, ensure your lights are on, reduce your speed, follow the directions of traffic officials and do not take any chances driving through water flooding the roadway,’ urged Mackenzie.
The N2 at Sir Lowry’s Pass is open and operating on a stop-and-go-system whereby approximately 30 cars are able to pass at a time with a 45-minute to an hour waiting time, according to Overstrand Municipality manager Dean O’Neil.
The R43 between Hermanus and Kleinmond at Honingklip is open with a digger loader on standby to clear the road of mud and trees.
The R43 between Gansbaai and Stanford remains closed, as well as the R320 Hemel-en-Aarde road
R43 Palmiet bridge, R44 Clarence Drive and R45 Franschhoek Pass are also closed.
#Franschhoek according to sources. Any other photos or videos? 😔#capeStorm 🌨️ https://t.co/qHdaBy93ED
— ᑕᗩᑭE TOᗯᑎ (@CapeTown) September 25, 2023
Footage of a sinkhole outside Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay has been circulating on social media. A violent stream of water can be seen flowing into it:
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town said teams are attending to storm-related outages in a number of areas:
- Philippi
- Gugulethu
- Bellville
- Plattekloof
- Oranjezicht
- Scottsville
- Kenridge
- Strand
- Wellway Park
- Grassy Park
- Goodwood
- Bergvliet
- Elsies River Industrial
- Pinelands
- Durbanville
- Hazendal
- Langa
- Vukuzenzele
- Macassar Village
- Bellville South
- Strand
- Greenfields
City added that additional staff have been deployed to assist with the high electricity call volumes.
Table Mountain National Park says pine trees in the lower Tokai plantation were uprooted and fell as a result of the inclement weather. There have also been reports of localised flooding of the trails in the area, as well as mass movement of soil in Upper Tokai.
The organisation advised park users to avoid the mountain trails to avoid accidents and injury, and to wait for a drier period to access mountain hiking, horse and bike trails.
An inspection to assess infrastructure and other damages will be conducted on Tuesday, 26 September.
Picture: Screenshot from video / Rodney Swartz
According to Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’ post on X, the City of Cape Town and disaster management across the province are currently attending to various cases of storm damage and flooding after heavy rainfall overnight.
Hill-Lewis added that numerous incidents of flooding, power outages, downed trees, mudslides and more have been reported.
Road closure update:
Cape Town – N2 Inbound: RAMP CLOSURE – no access to Borcherds Quarry Road due to flooding #CapeStorm pic.twitter.com/j5GJUqDsRy
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) September 25, 2023
TrafficSA also reported that the road between Worcester and Robertson is closed as a result of flooding, effectively cutting off the last direct access route between Cape Town and Swellendam.
The Cape Agulhas municipality said all roads leading to Bredarsdorp have been closed as well.
BusinessDay reports that
Stanford:
25 kilometres beyond Hermanus, the river that runs through the town has risen as a result of heavy downpours, causing major flooding in the area.
My niece, husband and their cat had to be evacuated from their home in Stanford by boat. #CapeStorm #Overberg Thanks to the ever-ready @NSRI pic.twitter.com/2ny9FK6LJw
— Helen Walne (@helen_walne) September 25, 2023
Footage of homes in Stanford being flooded by the high levels of water have been circulating on social media.
View this post on Instagram
Hermanus under water:
Feature image: @river_gate_farm / Instagram
Montague flooded
Montague on the R62 entrance has been closed off due to excessive flooding. Motorists are urged to use the alternative back route.
Cape {town} Etc has received footage of the road conditions of the R62, five kilometres before Montague:
Chapman’s Peak Drive closed:
Cape Town – Chapman’s Peak Drive: ROAD CLOSED (Latest) #CapeStorm #Chappies pic.twitter.com/o15Tv2IIMA
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) September 25, 2023
N1 closed:
The N1 (towards Touwsrivier), from the R43 Wolseley/Ceres intersection up to the Ceres road at Touwsrivier, is closed due to flooding.
Traffic will be rerouted.
Extra staff called in to assist with emergency calls:
🚨🌧️ We have called in extra staff to handle the influx of calls to our Western Cape Government contact centre — please contact 0860 142 142 to report any issues across the province as a result of the inclement weather conditions. #CapeStorm #WesternCape
— Premier Alan Winde 🇿🇦 (@alanwinde) September 25, 2023
19th-century steam engine goes:
A 19th-century steam engine on display at Villiersdorp disappears with the ground beneath it.
Footage: Supplied
Chapman’s Peak Drive closed:
Loadshedding suspended due to weather:
Load-shedding update 25 September
Load-shedding suspended in Cape Town (Western Cape only) until further notice due to the storm.
Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/aIxF1enVQl
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) September 25, 2023
Sluice gates opened at Wemmershoek Dam:
To address the escalating threat of downstream flooding, Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for the City’s Disaster Risk Management, revealed that authorities have proactively opened sluice gates at the Wemmershoek Dam.
This strategic move aims to lower water levels and prevent potential disasters in regions located along the overflowing Lourens and Eerste River, which have breached their banks due to the relentless rainfall.
As the storm shows no immediate signs of subsiding, Cape Town’s authorities remain on high alert.
[#CapeStorm Update Thread ] Incidents reported to the City’s Disaster Operations Centre
INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
Flooding in Shuku-Shukma & Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Rasta Camp, Riemvasmaak, 7de Laan Sandvlei Macassar, Old Faure Driftsands, Mfuleni, Bellville South#CTNews pic.twitter.com/7eFUzMriIW— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) September 25, 2023
Residents urged to take conditions seriously:
Western Cape’s MEC for local government, Anton Bredell, has issued a warning regarding the potential for flash floods and mudslides due to the heavy downpours. He emphasised the seriousness of the situation, stating that the region’s dams are full, and the soil is saturated from recent winter rains.
Bredell urged Western Cape residents to stay vigilant, saying, ‘The severity of this storm demands caution, attention, and proactive measures. Remember, your life and the lives of others are of utmost importance. Follow the instructions of the authorities and the emergency services.’
Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has forecast widespread showers and thundershowers, leading to potential flooding in various parts of the country. Areas particularly at risk include the Overberg, Garden Route, and parts of the Cape Winelands.
It's been raining for the past 12 hours nonstop in Cape Town 😩…Overberg 💔…strong winds #CapeStorm pic.twitter.com/OHUNeEGMYD
— Peché Africa 🇿🇦 (@pmcafrica) September 25, 2023
Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town Disaster Management, advised the public to exercise caution, especially when travelling in these regions. She shared essential safety tips, such as clearing drainage systems, raising the floor level of structures above ground level, creating sandbags, digging trenches to divert water, and reporting blocked drains and illegal dumping.
Powell also provided emergency contact information, stating that weather-related emergencies could be reported to the city’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
🚨 Please stay safe, avoid unnecessary travel on our roads, follow instructions from our officials, and contact emergency services if necessary.
All our teams are on the ground working non-stop – thank you from all of us 🙏🌧️#CapeStorms pic.twitter.com/n7KXLdYBhE
— Premier Alan Winde 🇿🇦 (@alanwinde) September 25, 2023
High electricity call volumes due to storm damage:
The City apologises for the inconvenience, but high electricity call volumes are being experienced due to storm-related damage.
At times, the call waiting time could be approximately 10 minutes due to the high volumes.
Teams are doing their best to assist as fast as possible.
Storm-related damage often leads to area outages, and restoration time is unfortunately impacted due to the damaged infrastructure and stormy weather.
Load-shedding makes it all worse.
Road Closure Update:
Issued by Communications Department, Theewaterskloof Municipality
Motorists are advised that all major routes leading to Cape Town and Caledon remain closed to traffic.
There are currently no detour roads available along the N2 in the Theewaterskloof area as those gravel roads have also flooded.
The following roads remain closed:
- Sir Lowry’s Pass
- Botriver bridge on the N2 has completely washed away
- R43 direction Villiersdorp
- R321 between Grabouw and Villiersdorp
- R320 Hemel and Aarde Road
- The road between Stanford and Hermanus
- R44 Clarence Drive
- R45 Franschhoek Pass
- Low water bridge across the Buffelsjag Rivier close to Swellendam
- Low water bridge in Slanghoek
- The road between the N2 and Villiersdorp (Dennehof Golf Course)
- Nag Wag bridge between Bredarsdorp and Arniston
St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town:
Flooding status update:
Issued by Overstrand Municipal Manager, Dean O’Neill
Water status:
All areas in Hermanus can expect low water pressure due to damage to the De Bos dam pipeline. The terrain is currently not accessible.
Also, no power to Preekstoel Water Treatment Plant and therefore the reservoirs will not be filled. Please use water sparingly.
Power outage:
Large parts of Overstrand are without power.
Road closures:
R320 Hemel-en-Aarde closed for traffic.
R321 Karwyderskraal closed.
R43 between Stanford and Hermanus also closed.
R43 between Hermanus and Stanford closed.
R44 closed at Arabella, with trees across the road.
R44 Clarence Drive is closed due to traffic. The R45, Franschhoek Pass, has also been closed in both directions.
Botriver Bridge is still closed and will probably be closed for the duration of the day, due to damages to the roadway.
R43 direction Villiersdorp closed for traffic. SANRAL was instructed to put up boards.
The 24/7 emergency contact numbers are:
- 028 312 2400 in case of a fire or flood
- 028 313 8111 for municipal services emergencies relating to stormwater issues
Collapsed tree on Philip Kgosana Drive:
Reports indicate that a tree has fallen on Philip Kgosana Drive, roughly two kilometres past Groote Schuur Hospital, while heading towards the CBD.
To exit the area, drivers are currently performing U-turns amid oncoming traffic. It is strongly recommended that motorists steer clear of this route until the City’s emergency services have cleared the debris.
Collapsed tree on the corner of Krynauw and Weltevreden Street:
Eerste River in Stellenbosch:
Video: Widely shared on social media.
Bus accident on Klipfontein Road, Athlone
Warning: Graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
An accident occurred near a traffic intersection on Klipfontein Road in Athlone involving a Golden Arrow bus carrying passengers.
Update:
Three people were killed and 21 people injured.
Our sincerest condolences to the loved ones of the victims involved.
Flooding in various areas:
Houses were reportedly flooded in several areas, including Durbanville, Bo-Kaap, Schaapkraal, Bellville South, Belhar, Sandvlei Macassar, Strand, Gordons Bay and Knorhoek.
My son at FACT(Cape Town Airport) now..fk 😖 pic.twitter.com/rSBjR8GPHz
— Rob Heine 💔🐷 (@RobPadoa) September 24, 2023
Strand:
The N2 at Victoria Road in Strand is severely affected. Denehof and Sunset Blvd. in Gordons Bay were closed, as were Sir Lowry’s Pass and Baden Powell Drive.
Emergency services assisted four people trapped in a house in Strand and evacuated them.
Video: Widely shared on social media.
An oak tree outside St. George’s Cathedral was uprooted by the fierce winds last night. Parts of the fence on the Queen Victoria Street end of the precinct were smashed apart by the weight of the falling tree.
The roof was blown off a private property in the CBD, while a NUTEC dwelling in Hout Bay was also damaged due to wind.
Video: Widely shared on social media.
The sluice gate at Wemmershoek Dam has been opened to mitigate downstream flooding while the Lourens and Eerste River have burst their banks.
Reports of fallen trees have also been received on Hout Bay Main Road, Macassar, Rondebosch East, Durbanville, Kuilsriver, Woodstock, Klipheuwel IFS, and Malmesbury farms.
Motorists have been advised that all major routes leading to Cape Town and Caledon are closed to traffic.
View this post on Instagram
The Botriver Bridge is closed and will probably be closed for the duration of the day due to damage to the roadway.
The R43 in the direction of Villiersdorp is closed to traffic. SANRAL was instructed to put up boards.
The R321 and the R32 Hemel and Aarde are also closed to traffic.
The road between Stanford and Hermanus remains closed to traffic.
The R44 Clarence Drive has been closed. closed, and there is currently no detour to Cape Town as the R45, Franschhoek Pass, has also been closed in both directions.
Also read:
Picture: Nigel Riley / Facebook