Cape Town - The home of nearly 10,000 Cape residents were flooded after Tuesday’s heavy rain, with many having to scoop water out of their houses and scores forced to seek alternative shelter.
City disaster risk management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said that 9 850 people were affected in areas - Masiphumelele in Noordhoek had 1 748 people affected, the most on the peninsula, with 1,000 residents in Phola Park, Philippi, and Siyahlala, Dunoon, affected. Thousands of food packs and blankets were supplied and community halls were made available to those left destitute.
Other areas affected included Khayelitsha, Strand, Lotus River, Gugulethu, Delft, Macassar, Bishop Lavis, Faure, Uitsig, Mfuleni, Eerste River and Retreat.
“The costs… for disaster relief aid provided yesterday (Tuesday) amounted to more than R1.4 million.” By Tuesday night, the city could not confirm the number of people displaced.
Frustrated Klipfontein residents protested because of flooding in their homes. The residents took to the streets and burnt tyres, forcing the closure of Govan Mbeki Road (Lansdowne Road) between Symphony Way and Stock Road. Residents said they were promised help with the floods, but were let down.
A resident who lives in Klipfontein said many people were almost knee-deep in water and the council said it could not assist them as it was private land.
“The people have been burning tyres since 1pm, they are angry because the council never comes to help them. This happens every year and nothing has changed, people still get water in their homes and no help.”
The man asked not to be named as he is well-known in the community and feared he would be victimised.
“I have been staying here for 50 years and the council says they can’t help us because this is a mission station and the property does not belong to them. They expect the people to be able to do it for themselves.”
Cold, wet and windy weather affected areas such as the Isiqalo informal settlement near Mitchells Plain, where many families were displaced.
Annetta Baloyi and her two-year-old daughter roamed around Isiqalo looking for a place to spend the night after their home was flooded.
She said she was searching for any place they could find shelter for the night.
Baloyi said she was shocked to wake up and see the damage caused to her home by the heavy rains.
She added that she wanted to return to her home in Limpopo, but had no money to do so.
“I have nowhere to run, all I can do is pray that my child and I find a place to stay.”
Disaster risk management spokeswoman Charlotte Powell said that in Baloyi’s case, emergency shelter would be provided.
Powell added that they would be assessing the damage across the peninsula and make relief available to people according to the damage done to their homes. She said the assessments could take up to two days to complete.
Partly cloudy conditions are expected for Wednesday and Thursdaywith a 30 percent chance of rain, for both days, heavy north-westerly winds are predicted and temperatures will range between 13°C and 14°C.
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