More than 38,000 people from 49 areas in greater Cape Town are affected by the flooding, says Disaster Management, which with its NGO partners is providing meals for 18,000 of those worst affected.
Flooding was also reported on the West Coast and in the Overberg.
The rapid growth in informal settlements in the past three years, from 178 to 226, may be at the heart of the problem, Disaster Management spokesperson Johan Minnie said on Sunday.
"I'm not a housing expert, but that is a drastic increase," he said.
Although nine shelters had been made available, only about 100 people had moved there, because many of those affected feared that leaving their homes unoccupied would invite burglaries.
Formal areas such as Heideveld, parts of Gugulethu and Athlone - where the Vygieskraal Canal burst its banks on Saturday - were severely affected, but the situation was most dire in informal low-lying areas such as Philippi, Klipfontein, Nyanga, Khayelitsha Site B, Crossroads, Lwandle in Strand and Doornbach in Milnerton, said Minnie.
Mayor Helen Zille, with an entourage from Disaster Management, visited Little Kosovo, Section Six in Philippi and Heideveld.
"It was terrible. If four major storms hit consecutively, there is nothing one can do about it. The problem is that people settled in low-lying areas," said Zille.
She said people urgently needed to be moved to higher-lying, drier areas, and pollution and litter in the storm water had to be dealt with to avoid an outbreak of disease.
The city council would clean up trash and pump water from a low-lying detention pond in Philippi on Monday, she said.
Minnie said council planned to look into the impact of the flood on health and sanitation on Monday.
Housing councillor Dan Plato said the provincial government would have to provide dry ground for resettlement, because the city did not have enough land.
The city was in "positive" negotiations with the provincial department of local government and housing over the provision of land.
The city's Executive Management Team will meet on Monday morning to discuss an urgent plan of action.
City manager Achmat Ebrahim also called emergency meetings on Sunday with his top management and the Disaster Co-ordinating Team, consisting of all major city service departments.
Plans were put in place to clear storm water blockages and sewage systems and identify areas at greatest risk, using all available staff and outside contractors where needed, the council said in a statement.
In Klipfontein, at the Methodist Mission Station, 670 families have been affected by the flooding since Tuesday and 420 children could not attend classes because their school was ankle-deep in water.
Streets resemble rivers, with ducks and geese paddling through masses of rotten food and rubbish.
Many residents tried to salvage the sodden furniture from their homes in knee-deep water, and about 400 people are being fed at the church.
"Some residents have hired pumps and at one house 70 000 litres were pumped out, but it didn't seem to make a difference," said Klipfontein community leader Yvonne Barthies.
The Methodist Church pledged R10 000 to disaster relief, a local baker offered 100 loaves. Churches in Bellville and Kuils River, as well as Disaster Management, have donated blankets, but much more help is needed, Barthies said.
"We need gumboots for the residents," she said.
Meanwhille, the SA Weather Services (SAWS) said on Sunday that 35mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours at the Cape Town International Airport weather office. In Paarl 31mm had fallen and in Strand 14mm.
The weather was expected to clear up, with warmer temperatures over the next day or two, but another cold front with wet weather was expected on Thursday, SAWS said.
"Another round of frontal showers will reach the Cape south-western coast on Thursday. The movement of the front will spread these showers along the Cape south coast by evening," according to the SAWS website.
Msimelo Mabula, the West Coast District Municipality's community services director, said the weather had been "very wet and cold" since last week and all five local municipalities had reported flooding.
"It seems, based on our last count, the Matzikama area has been worst affected by flooding, with more than 40 homes filled with water.
In the Swartland area flooding was also quite bad. We haven't received the official figures yet. So far we have managed by providing affected residents with blankets, food and other necessities," he said.
Overberg District Municipality's Disaster Management spokesperson Reinhard Geldenhuys said although the weather had been "terrible", only a few roads had been closed because of the rain. "A few in Caledon and Swellendam were covered in water and temporarily closed," he said.
The City of Cape Town has asked residents not to call the Disaster Operations Centre in an emergency. Instead they should call one of the following numbers:
Electricity faults in Eskom areas 0860 037 566
Electricity faults in areas supplied by City of Cape Town 0860 125 001
Traffic signals not working 0860 001 948
Metro Police Control Room 021 596 1999
Transport, roads and storm water 021 957 4700
Water Services 0860 103054
Elsewhere in various parts of the country, fire fighters were still battling blazes.
Working on Fire spokesperson Evelyn Holtzhausen said there were 11 fires in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland.
In Swaziland, two fires were out of control with a total of seven fatalities.
Eleven people burnt to death in fires that engulfed parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal on Friday. - Cape Times
Flooding was also reported on the West Coast and in the Overberg.
The rapid growth in informal settlements in the past three years, from 178 to 226, may be at the heart of the problem, Disaster Management spokesperson Johan Minnie said on Sunday.
| 'I'm not a housing expert, but that is a drastic increase' |
Although nine shelters had been made available, only about 100 people had moved there, because many of those affected feared that leaving their homes unoccupied would invite burglaries.
Formal areas such as Heideveld, parts of Gugulethu and Athlone - where the Vygieskraal Canal burst its banks on Saturday - were severely affected, but the situation was most dire in informal low-lying areas such as Philippi, Klipfontein, Nyanga, Khayelitsha Site B, Crossroads, Lwandle in Strand and Doornbach in Milnerton, said Minnie.
Mayor Helen Zille, with an entourage from Disaster Management, visited Little Kosovo, Section Six in Philippi and Heideveld.
"It was terrible. If four major storms hit consecutively, there is nothing one can do about it. The problem is that people settled in low-lying areas," said Zille.
| 'We need gumboots for the residents' |
The city council would clean up trash and pump water from a low-lying detention pond in Philippi on Monday, she said.
Minnie said council planned to look into the impact of the flood on health and sanitation on Monday.
Housing councillor Dan Plato said the provincial government would have to provide dry ground for resettlement, because the city did not have enough land.
The city was in "positive" negotiations with the provincial department of local government and housing over the provision of land.
The city's Executive Management Team will meet on Monday morning to discuss an urgent plan of action.
City manager Achmat Ebrahim also called emergency meetings on Sunday with his top management and the Disaster Co-ordinating Team, consisting of all major city service departments.
Plans were put in place to clear storm water blockages and sewage systems and identify areas at greatest risk, using all available staff and outside contractors where needed, the council said in a statement.
In Klipfontein, at the Methodist Mission Station, 670 families have been affected by the flooding since Tuesday and 420 children could not attend classes because their school was ankle-deep in water.
Streets resemble rivers, with ducks and geese paddling through masses of rotten food and rubbish.
Many residents tried to salvage the sodden furniture from their homes in knee-deep water, and about 400 people are being fed at the church.
"Some residents have hired pumps and at one house 70 000 litres were pumped out, but it didn't seem to make a difference," said Klipfontein community leader Yvonne Barthies.
The Methodist Church pledged R10 000 to disaster relief, a local baker offered 100 loaves. Churches in Bellville and Kuils River, as well as Disaster Management, have donated blankets, but much more help is needed, Barthies said.
"We need gumboots for the residents," she said.
Meanwhille, the SA Weather Services (SAWS) said on Sunday that 35mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours at the Cape Town International Airport weather office. In Paarl 31mm had fallen and in Strand 14mm.
The weather was expected to clear up, with warmer temperatures over the next day or two, but another cold front with wet weather was expected on Thursday, SAWS said.
"Another round of frontal showers will reach the Cape south-western coast on Thursday. The movement of the front will spread these showers along the Cape south coast by evening," according to the SAWS website.
Msimelo Mabula, the West Coast District Municipality's community services director, said the weather had been "very wet and cold" since last week and all five local municipalities had reported flooding.
"It seems, based on our last count, the Matzikama area has been worst affected by flooding, with more than 40 homes filled with water.
In the Swartland area flooding was also quite bad. We haven't received the official figures yet. So far we have managed by providing affected residents with blankets, food and other necessities," he said.
Overberg District Municipality's Disaster Management spokesperson Reinhard Geldenhuys said although the weather had been "terrible", only a few roads had been closed because of the rain. "A few in Caledon and Swellendam were covered in water and temporarily closed," he said.
The City of Cape Town has asked residents not to call the Disaster Operations Centre in an emergency. Instead they should call one of the following numbers:
Elsewhere in various parts of the country, fire fighters were still battling blazes.
Working on Fire spokesperson Evelyn Holtzhausen said there were 11 fires in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland.
In Swaziland, two fires were out of control with a total of seven fatalities.
Eleven people burnt to death in fires that engulfed parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal on Friday. - Cape Times
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