Three people have been killed and 21 others injured after a Golden Arrow bus overturned on Jakes Gerwel Drive, near Athlone in Cape Town.
Several roads are closed due to heavy rainfall and excessive flooding across large parts of the Western Cape.
The province is currently experiencing an intense cold front, bringing with it gale-force winds.
Adding to the crisis, provincial traffic authorities have reported that a section of the N-2 highway in Botriver, located in the Overberg region, has been entirely washed away. This catastrophic event transpired as a result of the river bursting its banks, leading to surging water levels inundating the road.
VIDEO: Update | Severe weather conditions in the Western Cape
The provincial Mobility Department’s spokesperson Jandre Bakker says, “The N-2 at Botriver has suffered severe damage and is impassable. Road users travelling on the N-2 in the direction of Cape Town are diverted at Swellendam to the R-62 Ashton and will continue to the N-1 via the Huguenot Tunnel.”
Bakker urged travellers to be aware of additional closures, remarking, “If you are travelling on the N2 out of Cape Town, please note that Clarence Drive is closed, and you will not be able to pass Grabouw… So please rather use the N1 Huguenot tunnel and then travel via Worcester to Ashton, Swellendam, and back onto the N2. We are therefore expecting significantly higher traffic volumes on the N1, R62, and R60.”
Simultaneously, the City of Cape Town has reported a surge in electricity-related service requests due to storm-related damage in various areas across the metropole.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Energy, Beverley van Reenen says, “Teams are currently attending to storm-related outages in Philippi, Gugulethu, Eastridge, Steenberg, Wetton, Bellville, Plattekloof, Green Point, Pinati Estate. Storm-related damage often leads to area outages, and restoration time is unfortunately impacted due to the damaged infrastructure and stormy weather.”
As the Western Cape continues to grapple with these adverse weather conditions, authorities and emergency services are working tirelessly to mitigate the consequences and provide assistance to those affected by these tragic events.
VIDEO: SA Weather Service warn of severe weather conditions in large parts of the Western Cape
Pray for Capetown#CapeStorm pic.twitter.com/5Hl18cV6K2
— Moses M (@MosesM_) September 25, 2023
This is the flooding in the Strand, Western Cape. Even my garden in Cape Town is flooded. The climate crisis is sparing no one. If we don’t act now, we will have to contend with a worse situation next year. And who knows what is going to happen after that. pic.twitter.com/ktoksmswtX
— Farouk Cassim (@faroukee) September 25, 2023
Aftermath of #CapeStorm in Cape Town, South Africa#WesternCape pic.twitter.com/P7RDjcl1fe
— Attentive Media (@AttentiveCEE) September 25, 2023
