Cape town: Recovery and mop-up operations are continuing across the Western Cape following severe weather incidents that caused widespread damage to infrastructure, disrupted electricity supply, and affected hundreds of roads across the province. The recent weather events have officially been classified as disasters, highlighting the extent of the impact on communities, infrastructure, and service delivery.
According to South African Government News Agency, Eskom has restored electricity to 80% of affected customers. However, restoration efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain, vandalism, and cable theft. The Western Cape Government strongly condemned acts of vandalism and theft, saying they continue to aggravate the situation.
In the Cape Winelands District, repairs to the main power line between Boskloof and Romansrivier are progressing, while teams are also attending to faults in Chavonnes, Hexrivier, Rawsonville, and Witzenberg. In the Cederberg area, repair teams are replacing and restringing damaged poles and conductors in Citrusdal. Work in Algeria is expected to begin once repairs in Citrusdal and Lutzville have been completed.
Several areas in the Garden Route District, including Blanco farms and Harkerville, also remain without electricity as restoration efforts continue. Construction work in Lutzville in the Matzikama region is progressing, while recovery operations are ongoing in Elgin, Papiesvlei, and Stanford in the Overberg region. The province said about 400 roads were affected by the storms, with more than 60% already repaired and reopened.
Humanitarian relief efforts have also intensified across affected communities. Non-governmental organisations funded by the Western Cape Department of Social Development are working with relief organisations and government entities to provide meals, blankets, mattresses, water, baby packs, and clothing to affected residents. On Friday, Winde visited the Mustadafin Foundation in Cape Town, where volunteers have been distributing warm meals and disaster relief packs.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre continues to coordinate the province's disaster response and recovery operations.