Cape Town disaster management officials are urging residents to remain vigilant as a second cold front makes landfall over the Western Cape, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and widespread disruption across parts of the metropole.
Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson Charlotte Powell said the City’s Disaster Operations Centre remains on high alert as weather-related incidents continue to be reported across Cape Town.
“The second frontal system has now made landfall and our Disaster Operations Centre is monitoring for impacts,” Powell said.
By late Sunday evening, City services had already received multiple reports linked to the severe weather conditions.
“By late Sunday evening, our services had logged reports of roofs blown off in Mitchells Plain and Hanover Park, localised flooding in several informal settlements, flooded roadways and blocked drains, electricity outages and fallen trees,” she said.
Powell added that reports of further damage and disruptions were beginning to emerge from around the metro on Monday morning.
“Reports are starting to come in this morning of similar impacts in areas around the metropole – but no major impacts have been recorded thus far. We expect that the rate of reporting will increase as daylight sets in.”
City assessment teams are continuing to monitor and evaluate conditions in affected communities, particularly in vulnerable informal settlements.
“Assessments will continue in affected informal settlements that have been reported to date,” Powell said.
Motorists have also been warned to exercise caution as several roads across the city have been affected by flooding and storm debris.
“This morning there are numerous reports of impacted roadways, either due to flooding or because of fallen trees. We remind the public to please take extreme caution if they need to be out and about and to report any emergency incidents to our Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700.”
Meanwhile, schools within the City of Cape Town will remain open despite the adverse weather conditions. However, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed that schools in certain parts of the Cape Winelands have been closed on Monday, 11 May 2026, due to safety concerns linked to the severe weather.
The affected schools have received official communication from the Head of Department and parents have been informed of the temporary closures. Schools impacted by the shutdown are expected to reopen on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
The severe weather affecting the Western Cape forms part of a broader national crisis, with government officially classifying the ongoing conditions as a national disaster in six provinces.
The affected provinces include the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West and Mpumalanga.
Authorities say severe storms have triggered widespread flooding, causing major infrastructure damage and displacing numerous residents across several regions.
In the North West province, a 12-year-old girl tragically died after being swept away by floodwaters. In Kouga in the Eastern Cape, rescue teams were forced to evacuate more than 40 people trapped by rising floodwaters.
Government said the disaster classification would enable the release of emergency relief funding to support recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the affected provinces.
