Western Cape shuts all schools as deadly storm lashes Cape Town

All schools in the Western Cape will be closed on Tuesday as severe weather conditions continue to batter the province, leaving one person dead, another injured and widespread flooding reported across several communities in Cape Town.

Western Cape education MEC David Maynier said the decision to close all public ordinary and special schools was taken in the interest of learner and teacher safety following consultations with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and the South African Weather Service (Saws).

Saws issued a level 8 weather warning for parts of the Western Cape, cautioning residents about disruptive rainfall, damaging winds and dangerous coastal conditions.

“Based on updated weather projections and current conditions, a decision has been taken to close all public ordinary and special schools in the province on Tuesday,” said Maynier.

He added that several schools had already suffered storm-related damage, which was still being assessed.

Meanwhile, one person died after a tree fell onto a vehicle in Kenilworth in Cape Town’s southern suburbs on Monday. In a separate incident, another motorist was injured.

Story audio is generated using AI The City of Cape Town and the province are being lashed by a severe storm on Monday morning. Several homes in the Lwandle informal settlement near Somerset West and Gordon’s Bay in Cape Town have been flooded as severe weather continues to batter parts of the Western Cape. Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said its teams have been on the ground assisting communities after widespread flooding and storm damage in several areas. An intense cold front bringing cold, wet and windy conditions across the Western Cape is forecast to endure until Tuesday. The South African Weather Service issued a Level 8 weather warning for the Cape Winelands District, Drakenstein and the City of Cape Town from Sunday, warning of disruptive rainfall, damaging winds and dangerous coastal conditions. According to the weather service, the province is experiencing heavy rainfall, with possible accumulations of 200mm-300mm, significantly increasing the risk of flooding. Strong winds of up to 109km/h have also been forecast, posing a threat to infrastructure, trees and power lines. Damaging waves and storm surge conditions are also expected along the coast. Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers said the organisation had been inundated with requests for assistance from informal settlements in the Cape Metro, Drakenstein and Franschhoek. “Residents of the Langrug informal settlement have suffered extensive damage, with strong winds ripping off roofs, trees falling onto homes and widespread flooding. Gift of the Givers is working alongside local disaster management teams, responding urgently to assist affected families.” Sablay said relief teams would begin operations in the Lwandle informal settlement before moving to other affected areas. “The distribution of hot meals, blankets and baby care packs will commence shortly.” City of Cape Town traffic services spokesperson Kevin Jacobs said there had been no reports of major accidents on Monday morning despite hazardous weather conditions. On the M3 at Rhodes Drive, a tree was obstructing the road, and there are reports of live wires across the road on Rosmead Avenue in the vicinity of the Wynberg Fire Station. Traffic officers are on the scene and have secured a lane closure. “There is also widespread localised flooding of roads, so we urge road users to be careful,” he said. The Western Cape education department confirmed that schools in certain areas of the Cape Winelands education district, and 11 schools in the Eden and Central Karoo education district, would remain closed due to the severe weather conditions. Motorists who cannot avoid being on the roads on Monday are advised to: slow down to avoid the risk of aquaplaning; drive with headlights on to ensure they are visible to oncoming traffic; and allow additional travel time to get to their destination. Severe winds are affecting freight routes in parts of the province, provincial transport MEC Isaac Sileku said. “Truck drivers are urged to exercise extreme caution and delay non-essential travel where possible.” TimesLIVE

According to the City of Cape Town, widespread flooding was reported shortly after 11am in several informal settlements and low-lying areas, including Island, Makhaza and Monwabisi Park in Khayelitsha, Imizamo Yethu, Nomzamo, Lwandle, Phola Park, Gugulethu, Valhalla Park, Vygieskraal, Tafelsig, Delft and Kampies.

City Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said emergency teams were responding to multiple incidents across the metro.

Flooding was also reported at a daycare centre in Mitchells Plain and at the corner of Mercury and Galaxy Roads in Rocklands.

The weekend of relentless rain has turned parts of Cape Town into flood zones, with informal settlements among the hardest hit. In Zwezwe, Dunoon, families waded through knee-deep water, slept on makeshift platforms and feared for their lives as floodwaters invaded their homes. Sajini Lubisi, 54, had the shock of his life when he returned to his shack in Zwezwe, an informal settlement outside Cape Town, to find his children perched on top of a soaked bed amid floodwater. “I found them shaking and scared,” he said. “The water was knee-deep. I kept thinking my children, aged five, seven and nine, could have been washed away.” Over the past three days, the City of Cape Town has recorded heavy storms, with persistent rainfall triggering widespread flooding across the metro. Lubisi said the water began seeping into his shack on Friday. “As I was walking towards my shack, I saw the bottom part covered in water. I didn’t think much of it because other shacks looked the same. But nothing could have prepared me for what I found inside,” he said. He donned gumboots as the water rose to his knees and tried to dig a furrow to drain it. “It didn’t help,” he said. For three nights, the family has been forced to improvise. “We put plastic on top of the bed so the children can sleep. Luckily, we had dry blankets on top of the wardrobe. My wife and I sleep sitting on beer crates, praying it doesn’t get worse,” he said. The situation has also left them without food. “The rainwater ruined everything. We’ve been surviving on bread and water. I don’t know what will happen in the coming days.” Their two older children have missed school because their uniforms are soaked. Zwezwe’s shacks are built along Malibongwe Drive near the swollen banks of the Diep River — a location residents say leaves them vulnerable every time it rains. It happened so fast. There was water everywhere. My furniture was floating Across the settlement, similar stories are unfolding. Awhile Mambula, 32, from nearby Sporweni, has been forced to seek shelter with relatives after her shack flooded on Sunday morning. “I was getting ready for work when the water started coming in,” she said. “I prayed I wouldn’t go through what happened in 2019.” Within minutes, her belongings were submerged. “It happened so fast. There was water everywhere. My furniture was floating. I couldn’t go to work; I had to ask my child’s grandmother for a place to sleep.” Mambula said she had only recently rebuilt her shack after losing everything in previous floods. Residents say flooding has become a constant threat. “When it rains, we get worried. There are more and more shacks, and I don’t think the area can handle this,” said a community member who identified himself as Mike. “On Friday, the streets were flooded and cars couldn’t pass.” Meanwhile, Disaster Risk Management teams have been assessing damage in areas including Mkhonto Square informal settlement in Nyanga and Brown’s Farm. The city confirmed localised flooding across multiple parts of Cape Town, with incidents routed through its Transport Management Centre for response by roads and stormwater teams. Several roads in Parkwood have also been affected. City spokesperson Sonica Lategan said wet weather conditions are expected to persist into the early hours of Tuesday, with ongoing monitoring and deployment of services where needed. For families like the Lubisis, however, the immediate concern is survival. “I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I was afraid the shack would be washed away with my family inside.”

“Damaged roofs have been reported in Grindal Avenue in Lavender Hill, as well as in Gugulethu, Crossroads, Marcus Garvey in Philippi, Portland, Delft and Gardens Road in Wynberg,” Powell said.

She added that the Vygieskraal Canal in Belgravia had reached capacity and was overflowing.

Humanitarian organisations have been deployed to affected communities, distributing hot meals and blankets to displaced residents.

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