Level 4 weather warning prompts flooding alerts across Western Cape

Residents across parts of the Western Cape have been urged to remain on high alert after the City of Cape Town issued a Level 4 weather warning, as heavy rain, flooding and rapidly intensifying thunderstorms continue to affect large areas of the province.

Eddie Andrews, the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, called on residents in Ward 73 to act immediately by reporting any blocked or overflowing stormwater drains, warning that unattended infrastructure could significantly worsen flooding during severe weather.

Andrews said logging service requests through official City channels allows municipal teams to respond as a priority and helps reduce flooding risks in streets and homes during periods of intense rainfall. Residents were urged to use the City of Cape Town’s official service request system.

Weather authorities confirmed that a cut-off low pressure system was driving widespread storm activity, with satellite observations showing moist tropical air feeding into the system over South Africa. The low-pressure core was observed spinning just north of Cape Town early on Monday morning, with further storm intensification possible during the day.

Parts of the Overberg District were hit by heavy rainstorms from Sunday into yesterday morning, resulting in flooding and storm damage, while severe weather also affected areas of the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

In the Overstrand, a Level 4 thunderstorm warning remained in place as heavy rainfall continued on already saturated ground.

Unconfirmed rainfall measurements recorded overnight and during the early morning hours included 60mm in Hermanus CBD, 80mm in Onrus, 90mm in Kleinmond and up to 185mm in Fisherhaven and Hawston. Officials warned that more rain was expected within the next hour, increasing the risk of mudslides and localised flooding, particularly in known flood hotspots.

Disaster management and operational teams were deployed across the Overstrand to assist with water diversion, opening infrastructure and distributing sandbags where required. Lower-lying areas were expected to begin taking in water as rainfall intensified around midday.

Provincial traffic authorities confirmed that the Botrivier Bridge on the N2 and Sir Lowry’s Pass remained open, but motorists were urged to be extra vigilant due to rising water levels. Several roads were closed due to flooding and unsafe conditions, including the Uitsig–Caledon low bridge, Hemel-en-Aarde Road between Caledon and Hermanus, and Boontjieskraal Road linking to the R43. Motorists were warned not to attempt to cross flooded roads under any circumstances.

Electricity outages were reported in some areas following lightning strikes, with residents asked to log faults via the Collab Citizen App to help keep telephone lines open for emergency calls. Emergency services said control rooms and contact centres were flooded with requests for assistance, urging residents to be patient as teams worked through reports and warning that multiple urgent calls for the same incident were placing additional strain on limited resources.

Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill said disaster response teams were prioritising life-threatening situations as conditions continued to evolve.

Amid the flooding, community group Sandbaai Community VID criticised municipal infrastructure planning, claiming that longstanding sewer and stormwater system problems had not been adequately addressed and that this had worsened flooding in affected areas. The group’s claims had not been formally responded to by the municipality at the time of publication.

In a separate notice issued last week, Overstrand Municipality confirmed water restrictions in Pearly Beach and Eluxolweni following damage to a private bulk water pipeline during recent fires, stressing that the restrictions were precautionary and unrelated to the current storm system.

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Cape Argus