Severe weather systems cause flooding in the Garden Route and Eastern Cape

Severe storms have battered the Garden Route and Eastern Cape, prompting school closures and widespread flooding.

Several roads have also been closed in both provinces, including the Swartberg Pass between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn, while homes in some informal settlements have been destroyed on the Garden Route and in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Touw River mouth in Wilderness, along the Garden Route, has broken open, with water now flowing freely between the river and the sea.

Elias Sithole, national disaster management head, told IOL: "All municipalities drafted disaster management plans and the contingency plans dealing with this specific hazard."

Schools across four districts in the Eastern Cape — and more than 120 in the Garden Route and Karoo in the Western Cape — will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Heavy rain has already been recorded.

Between 8am on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday, Port Alfred recorded the highest rainfall by far, measuring a massive 113mm, according to the latest South African Weather Service (Saws) data, seen by IOL.

Other areas also saw substantial downpours, including Plettenberg Bay with 92mm, Gqeberha at 85mm, and Joubertina recording 80.8mm.

Robert Sobukwe Town, formerly Graaff-Reinet, and Patensie also received significant totals of 79.4mm and 77.2mm, respectively.

Further inland and along the coast, the rain remained steady.

Kariega reported 63.4mm, while Willowmore saw 60.4mm.

Addo recorded 56.8mm, Beaufort West measured 56mm, and both Cape St Francis and George saw totals in the mid-50s.

Gqeberha’s Coega station recorded 53.6mm.

Meanwhile, towns like Fort Beaufort and Buffelsfontein saw much lighter falls, recording 5.4mm and 4.6mm, respectively, during the period.

These are the official rainfall figures recorded at stations within the Saws observational network.

According to data recorded by the George municipality’s own monitoring stations, rainfall totals have varied across the region, with Uniondale measuring 136mm, Waboomskraal 117mm, Witfontein 76mm and Wilderness 73mm.

However, higher totals may have been recorded in towns or cities outside this network.

SA Weather Service meteorologist Lelo Kleinbooi said: “We have a cut-off low, that is weather system that develops in the upper-air, that was over the western part of the country on Tuesday and it then moved into the Eastern Cape.

“The combination of these weather systems then resulted in widespread showers and thundershowers across most parts of SA.

“Due to the placement of the weather systems, the bulk of the adverse weather strong to gale force winds, heavy rain leading to flooding, very rough to high seas, snowfall that may be disruptive and very cold conditions is expected over the Cape provinces, while other provinces may mainly experience the cold weather and a likelihood of severe thunderstorms.”

She said rainfall figures were expected to be explosive along the south coast of the country, with some areas possibly getting more than 150mm within a 24hr period.

Kleinbooi said snow was also expected over the high-lying areas of the Cape provinces, where it could cause disruptions, close more mountain passes and make driving dangerous.

"It may also spread to the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal, but only light snowfall is expected there," she said.

In the Eastern Cape, rain has already been wreaking havoc since Tuesday night.

Several streets in the northern areas and townships of Gqeberha were submerged in water.

While pictures and videos circulating online appear to show the VW SA plant in Kariega once again under water, spokesperson Andile Dlamini told IOL this was not the case.

He said old images were being shared and wrongly presented as current.

It is understood the metro police have no operational fleet due to fuel shortages, with only 11 commanders on standby.

As of midnight, both 93 and 95 octane petrol increased by R3.27 per litre.

Diesel drivers have been hit harder, with prices jumping by a staggering R5.27 per litre for both 0.05% and 0.005% sulphur grades.

Seven of the Nelson Mandela Bay traffic department’s vehicles are also without fuel, while eight are below half capacity.

Of the fire department’s fleet, 18 vehicles have been topped up and are in use.

The contract for the supply of petrol and diesel to municipal vehicles has allegedly expired, with no new contract currently in place.

Deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk said he was aware of the issues.

"Some of those issues have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved," Van Niekerk said.

"I am aware of that.

"There are no casualties yet and we are working around the clock to ensure everyone's safety."

Some parts of the metro were also left in the dark from Tuesday afternoon due to power interruptions.

The municipality has issued emergency notices and opened more than 20 community halls as temporary shelters for affected residents.

When it comes to schools, classes in high-risk areas have already been called off as the weather threat intensifies.

A memo sent by the department warned that “heavy downpours are anticipated”.

“This memorandum serves to advise and instruct all district and school principals on necessary precautions and actions to safeguard our learners and school staff,” education head Sharon Maasdorp said.

“A cut-off low-pressure system is currently passing over the Eastern Cape, bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms across the province.

“Heavy downpours are anticipated, particularly along the South Coast and adjacent interior regions, including Kei Mouth.”

The affected areas include Kouga, Kou-Kamma, Nelson Mandela Bay and Sundays River Valley.

“Flooding of settlements, roads, and bridges, infrastructure damage, and dangerous driving conditions due to slippery roads and reduced visibility are expected," Maasdorp said.

In other areas, she said principals must make alternative arrangements for schoolwork and prepare plans to recover lost teaching time once conditions improve.

Eastern Cape education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed the veracity of the notice.

Some of the severely affected roads included:

• M4, behind the cemetery towards Deal Party;
• M4 between Deal Party and Mount Road;
• Addo Road, including under the train bridge;
• N2 near John Tallant Interchange;
• Redhouse Road (Kariega to Gqeberha);
• Veeplaas and Daku Roads, closed;
• Third Avenue Dip, closed;
• Mbane Street, Zwide, bend from Johnson Rd towards Nzondelelo High School, heavy flooded; and 
• Mount Road

In the Western Cape, the impact has been more widespread, with more than 120 schools in areas including George, Knysna and Oudtshoorn set to close over the same period as a safety measure.

The bad weather has already begun disrupting daily life in parts of the Garden Route.

Some shacks in Concordia, near Knysna on the Garden Route, have already been flooded after heavy rain lashed the area at about 3am on Wednesday.

In George, the municipality announced the landfill site will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to expected heavy rain.

Residents have also been urged to prepare for flooding, with sand made available for sandbags at several sites, including the Pacaltsdorp traffic department and Thembalethu fire station.

At the same time, SA National Parks has warned of a high flood risk across the Garden Route National Park, with several hiking trails, water activities and popular routes temporarily closed.

“Residents and visitors to the Garden Route National Park are advised to remain on high alert as severe weather conditions increase the risk of flooding across the region,” said SANParks spokesperson JP Louw.

SANParks said all water-based activities, hiking trails and several popular routes have been temporarily closed across sections of the park, with some accommodation remaining open but under strict monitoring.

All closures remain in place until conditions are declared safe again.

Separately, George municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards said the Learner’s Licence Test scheduled for Wednesday in Uniondale has been postponed.

“Arrangements are being made to reschedule the test at the earliest available opportunity.“All affected applicants will be notified of the new date in due course.”

Weekend Argus