As humanitarian relief and mop-up operations continue, the Western Cape was hit by another cold front last night.
Various stakeholder relief operations continued over the weekend with a focus on small and isolated communities in the Cederberg mountains.
Several areas on the Cape Flats, Hout Bay, as well as Stellenbosch, Paarl and Citrusdal were flooded following heavy rains last week.
“We were pleased that humanitarian aid could reach Citrusdal [on Saturday], and with a window of clear skies [yesterday], we can use helicopters where necessary to reach people, who have been isolated for the past couple of days,” Anton Bredell, MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said.
The West Coast District has been especially hard hit by the recent cold fronts, with widespread flooding making many roads and bridges inaccessible.
Citrusdal was cut off after heavy floods caused a sinkhole on the R303 close to the Olifants River, destroying the road.
Bredell said a situation report from the Provincial Disaster Management Centre indicated that most rivers in the province passed their flood peaks yesterday, but remain very full.
A cold front made landfall last night, and he added: “It is predicted to cause heavy rain in the Cape Winelands and Overberg districts, potentially resulting in more flooding along our rivers.”
Also predicted are large swells and gale-force winds along onse coastline, as well as near gale-force winds in the Central Karoo.
The rain is expected to be followed by freezing temperatures on Wednesday, after which conditions are expected to improve.
“Thank you to all the stakeholders who have been working with us on providing relief where needed,” Bredell added.
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