Western Cape Government has approached the National Disaster Risk Management

Authorities remain on high alert as cold and wet weather persist. Two further cold fronts are expected to make landfall between Saturday and Sunday (13-14 July). At today’s Joint Operations Centre meeting, it was reported that in the City of Cape Town 100 000 people have so far been affected, and 33 000 structures were damaged. “We have a huge humanitarian situation to deal with, and all authorities are working together to address this,” Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said.
“We have approached the National Disaster Management Centre for a provincial disaster classification, and expect an announcement on this soon,” Minister Bredell said.

Premier Alan Winde stated, “I urge national authorities to expedite this process. We desperately need additional resources to sustain our disaster management operations. Assessments still need to be finalised and from our side, as the Western cape Government and our stakeholders in the province, we are working flat out to complete this process I want to again thank all stakeholders for everything they do in the service of our citizens, particularly the most vulnerable.”
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) confirmed a Level 6 warning for disruptive rain in Drakenstein, Stellenbosch and Witzenberg for Saturday and Sunday. “According to the predictions, we can expect between 60 to 100mm of rain in the mountainous areas. Our dams and rivers are full, and our catchments are saturated, so any additional rainfall could lead to flooding, mudslides, and rock falls. We repeat our call to the public to stay safe, avoid unnecessary travel and keep informed through reputable news outlets,”

Citrusdal is currently cut off from all access routes, and authorities are attending to this situation. Provincial traffic services are allocating additional resources to provide support.
The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that dam and river levels continue to rise:
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The Breede River at Swellendam is currently flowing at more than 1000m³ per second, which is at a level where the river could start to breach its banks. Larger volumes of water are expected to come down the river in the coming days.
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The Clanwilliam Dam in the Olifants River is currently at 107%, and the controlled release of 1100m³ per second is being implemented. Downstream communities need to take note and exercise caution in the coming days.
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In Laingsburg, the Floriskraal Dam is at 118%, and communities in the immediate downstream vicinity have been alerted of the risk of flooding.
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The Berg River Dam is currently at 103%, and a flow volume of 396m³ was measured at Paarl in the Berg River this morning.
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The Theewaterskloof Dam is currently 90% full.
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Voëlvlei Dam is at 79% capacity.
Minister Bredell thanked all stakeholders and officials who have been working tirelessly this past week to help people in need. “Our focus will remain on keeping people safe until the severe weather has passed.”