Heavy rain expected over Cape Town, Winelands

Cape Town – Another major winter storm is expected to make landfall in the Western Cape on Wednesday evening, continuing throughout tomorrow.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned that significant rainfall between 30mm and 40mm can be expected over the Cape Town metropole, Theewaterskloof and the western parts of the Cape Winelands.

The secondary cold front on Friday will even bring light snowfall over the Western Cape, the SAWS said.

Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell says the bulk of the rainfall is expected to occur mostly on Thursday morning into the afternoon, with continuous showers into Friday, but clearing by the afternoon.

“The heavy rain is expected to lead to localised flooding of susceptible formal or informal settlements and roads, low-lying areas and bridges.”

Bredell says increased travel times can be expected due to slippery roads and difficult conditions.

“We are also concerned about the chances for localised mudslides, rock falls and soil erosion in places particularly along the slopes of Table Mountain following the major wildfire we experienced in the area a few weeks ago.”

Following the wildfire, the City of Cape Town has put in place several mitigation measures to deal with the challenges at all affected areas.

These measures include:

• Clearing of stormwater channels in lower-lying areas.
• Placing of sandbags at high-risk locations.
• Installation of silt curtains in strategic locations.
• Clearing of stormwater inlets in Rhodes Avenue from Rhodes Drive to Woolsack Drive, and along Philip Kgosana Drive towards Vredehoek.
• Excavation of earth channels along Philip Kgosana Drive.
• Repair work to damaged guardrails along the M3.
• Construction of temporary weirs with sandbags and poles.

Bredell says the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre as well as the City of Cape Town disaster services are on standby.

“All the municipalities in the Western Cape, including the City of Cape Town, have standard operating procedures and contingency plans in place to address incidents in their areas during major storms.

’’These plans include emergency response, providing relief and arranging temporary shelter for affected communities if needed.”

Members of the public are urged – in the event of any emergency – to contact the emergency services immediately. The easiest number to remember is 112. This is a toll-free number and can be dialled from any cell phone.

Additional regional numbers for reporting emergencies in the Western Cape:

• City of Cape Town – 107 or 021 480 7700 and 080 911 4357
• Overberg – 028 425 1690
• West Coast – 022 433 8700
• Garden Route – 044 805 5071
• Central Karoo – 023 449 8000
• Cape Winelands – 021 886 9244 / 021 887 4446.

IOL