Rain predictions for Thursday upgraded to Level 8.

The Western Cape Government takes note of the South African Weather Service’s latest impact warning, which is a Level 8 warning for disruptive rain on Thursday over Cape Town, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch. The 24-hour rainfall accumulations of 40 to 60mm are expected, reaching 80 to 100mm in mountainous areas. “We take note of this warning, which is rated as a low probability, but with potentially severe consequences should it materialise. We are concerned about the possibility of flooding, mudslides and rockfalls, and as such urge people to remain safe avoid unnecessary travel and keep informed through reputable news outlets, “Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said.

According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, dam levels across the province are rising, and at 05:00 Tuesday morning, the following unverified levels were reported:

• Theewaterskloof Dam at 71%
• Berg River Dam at 97%
• Clan William Dam at 94%
• Wemmershoek Dam at 83%

The Department of Local Government, the Department of Water and Sanitation and the City of Cape Town met today to discuss the controlled release of 50m³/second water from the Wemmershoek dam into the Berg River as a proactive and precautionary measure, starting Tuesday afternoon until Friday morning. This controlled release will create a buffer to absorb some of the expected inflow from Thursday’s rain, reducing the risk of flooding downstream.

Large parts of the province again received significant amounts of rain today, and humanitarian efforts to provide shelter, food and blankets continues throughout the province. “We will together with our private sector partners distribute close to 9 000 hot meals and more than 1 000 blankets to people in need today,” Minister Bredell said.

Premier Alan Winde reiterated, “Our PDMC and other stakeholders are monitoring the series of cold fronts very closely. Virtually all Western Cape Government (WCG) Departments are working together to mitigate the possible impact of this weather system. All stakeholders will remain vigilant, and I urge members of the public to also do so. Disaster management teams are working tirelessly to keep members of the public out of harm’s way. For this we are very thankful.”