Cleaning teams from the Voortrekker Road Improvement Corridor District (VRCID) were deployed in full on Monday and Tuesday as a second cold front brought gale-force winds and heavy rain to Cape Town, with Bellville among the areas to sustain significant damage.
VRCID’s Derek Bock said: “The VRCID cleaning teams were out in full during the storm on Monday and Tuesday, unblocking stormwater drains and moving broken branches out of the roads. Collection of branches and sweeping up of leaves commenced today with more than 150 bags of leaves and other debris already collected by Wednesday afternoon.
The VRCID cleaning teams need special praise for braving the adverse weather conditions and assisting the City of Cape Town where they could. Also, to the City of Cape Town teams, from Solid Waste, Traffic and Roads departments, thank you very much for keeping the roads safe. You deserve special mention.”
Storm damage in Bellville
In Bellville a tree was uprooted in Willie van Schoor Drive and a road collapse was reported in Church Street. Several trees also came down in the Majik Forest area. The City of Cape Town’s Roads and Infrastructure Management Department worked to restore electricity and clear fallen trees across the suburb.
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The South African Weather Service had issued an orange (level 8) warning ahead of the cold front’s arrival. Traffic signals were disrupted across the city, and City Traffic Services spokesperson Kevin Jacobs urged motorists to reduce speed, drive with headlights on, increase their following distance and treat affected intersections as four-way stops.
Across Cape Town, the storm’s impact has been severe. Initial assessments recorded approximately 41 635 people affected across at least 26 informal settlements, with 10 703 structures sustaining weather-related damage. Updated figures from the City placed the total number of affected people at 83 184, living in 21 546 dwellings, across 11 communities, including Khayelitsha, Philippi East, Gugulethu, Valhalla Park, Mfuleni, Lwandle and Hout Bay.
City Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said on Tuesday: “While the worst of the adverse conditions are behind us, the recovery efforts will continue for several days or more.”
Relief efforts underway
Several NGOs — Ashraful Aid, Gift of the Givers, Islamic Relief and Mustadafin — are providing hot meals and blankets to affected residents. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the Department of Social Development have also intervened.
The City has designated nine fire stations as public donation drop-off points. In Bellville donations of non-perishable food, personal hygiene products, nappies, baby formula and blankets or bedding can be dropped off at the fire station in Belrail Road.
Service requests can be logged via the City Call Centre on 0860 103 089, the City website or City App. Emergencies should be directed to the Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700.
