Cape Storm claims a life, displaces residents of Cape Winelands

Lester Kiewit speaks to Jo-Anne Otto (Deputy Director for Communications at Cape Winelands Disaster Management) about the impact of the storm which hit parts of the Western Cape this weekend (6-7 April).

On Saturday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) released a level six weather warning for Cape Town and a level nine warning for outlying areas in the Western Cape. 

Parts of Cape Town have seen the worst of the storm, resulting in the death of one person, damaged buildings and many displaced people seeking refuge in community halls. 

"It's been a busy 48 hours for fire services," says Otto.

All fires are under control and mop-up will commence once the rain subsides.

Otto reports that the storm brought the following tragedies to parts of the Cape Winelands:

• A person died when a tree fell on the individual.
• 77 people are displaced, living in community halls, after their homes were gutted by fires. 
• There is 'phenomenal' damage to property - a hospital had to be evacuated when the roof came off
• There were many electricity outages, most of which have been attended to.

Otto says rescue teams will fully asses damages once the storm clears up.  

"Nothing can happen while it's raining. We can only manage the situations as they come up. Hopefully, by tomorrow evening or Wednesday morning when the rain has subsided, we'll be able to see what's happening."

- Jo-Anne Otto, Deputy Director for Communications - Cape Winelands Disaster Management

Otto says the storm is having a 'spiralling effect' on business as several companies have opted to allow employees to stay home or work from home, slowing the economy and public services. 

"There's concern for the areas or rural parts of the areas which were severely affected by the storm in September which weren't fully fixed. The ground might still be saturated, which could lead to the same mudslides seen in September, especially around the mountain."

- Jo-Anne Otto, Deputy Director for Communications - Cape Winelands Disaster Management

The SAWS have reposted some of the weather-related reports on X.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.