Winter deluge brings both relief and misery to Cape Town

About a dozen families are living in the KTC community hall, some having moved there last week. About 200 families have had to abandon their shacks in Nyanga. Pictured here, trying to keep warm, is Nkosiphendule Nzotho and her six-month-old baby. (Photo: Vincent Lali)

By Chris Gilili and Vincent Lali

19 Jun 2023

June’s not over and already recorded rainfall far exceeds the month’s average.

The amount of rain in Cape Town over the past few weeks is dramatically captured by the graph below published by the municipality, which shows the volume of the city’s major dams every week since 2018. Note what has happened in the last three weeks as represented by the dotted navy blue line.

Rainfall in Cape Town Volume stored in Cape Town’s dams by week since 2018. Note the sudden spike in the last three weeks in the 2023 graph. The dams are fuller at this point in the year than they have been for at least five years. (Source: City of Cape Town, provided by GroundUp)

While rain is a relief for the drought-prone city, the deluge has caused much of the Cape Flats to become a wetland, flooding homes, and causing misery for many. Adding to this, the South African Weather Service issued a warning that the city will receive damaging winds on Monday.

The following table, also from the municipality, shows that rainfall recorded at all but one of the city’s dams (Steenbras being the exception) far exceeds the June average and the month is not yet over:

Cape Town rainfall

Cape Flats flooding When she came back from nightshift Nkosiphendule Nzotho found her “shoes were swimming”. She lives in Gushi Ndoda informal settlement near Delft. Her shack is flooded and she has not been able to go to work for two days. “I might lose my job,” she said. (Photo: Chris Gilili)

Cape Flats flooding Gushi Ndoda informal settlement is a marshy bog this winter. (Photo: Chris Gilil)

Cape Flats flooding The community committee told people to relocate their shacks to less affected areas. (Photo: Chris Gilili)

Cape Flats flooding About a dozen families are living in the KTC community hall, some having moved there last week. About 200 families have had to abandon their shacks in Nyanga. Pictured here, trying to keep warm, is Nkosiphendule Nzotho and her six-month-old baby. (Photo: Vincent Lali)

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First published by GroundUp.

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