Winter has finally arrived, as evidenced by the storm that klapped the Cape at the weekend.
Thousands of people have been affected as several informal settlements were left flooded.
Close to 1 600 families in Khayelitsha, Philippi and Gugulethu experienced flooding of their homes, while in Sweet Homes informal settlement, residents fought a losing battle using buckets, basins and spades to keep the water out of their houses.
City Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said yesterday morning: “At this stage, 1 600 dwellings and 6 500 residents have been affected.”
She said welfare organisations Mustadafin Foundation, SA Red Cross Society and the Historical Disadvantaged Individuals’ foundations provided relief to the affected families, but no emergency shelter has been activated, although these would be available in community halls.
Sweet Homes community leader Luxolo Pezisa said conditions were bad, but residents had become used to flooding.
“This is the story of every winter. What makes matters worse is that we built on sand. There are shacks where underground water emerges in winter,” he told the Cape Times.
Most of the flooding occurred on Sunday, when the maximum temperature was 13°C.
No injuries had been reported.
In the event of flooding, residents can call 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone for help.