Amid flooding, WC Infrastructure Dept urges public to refrain from removing road signs
As heavy rains persist in the Western Cape, the department has noted incidents of motorists moving signage on the roads to gain unlawful entry on closed routes.
Flood warning sign in Western Cape, South Africa in 2023. Picture: Science Photo Library via AFP
CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure has called on the public to refrain from moving road signs meant to protect road users from danger.
As heavy rains persist, the department has noted incidents of motorists moving signage on the roads to gain entry on closed routes unlawfully.
Authorities said they will continue to place obstacles and signs where roads are flooded or washed away.
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"Where roads are underwater, the roadway may have been damaged or washed away. There may be obstacles under the water you cannot see. Water flow may be strong enough to wash your vehicle away.
"Keep yourself and your loved ones safe on the road. When a road is closed, it is closed to all road users and to all vehicle types," said the department's Tertuis Simmers.
The department has also urged motorists to stop taking risks by crossing flooded roads, calling on them to use alternative routes to reach their destinations.
DRAKENSTEIN MUNICIPALITY
The Drakenstein Municipality is urging residents of Newton in Wellington not to return to the area until it's declared safe.
Over 900 households in Newton were evacuated on Tuesday after the area was devastated by floods.
The Drakestein Municipality says the section between Jan Van Riebeeck Drive and Bo-Dal Road in Newton is still not safe for evacuated residents to return.
It said an overflowing Farm Dam above the Newton area remains a threat to the residents with more heavy rains predicted.
The municipality said it was helping over 254 flood victims to get into temporary shelters.
Officials admitted that it had been difficult to find accommodation as many shelters could only accommodate 41 people at a time
It added that cemeteries had also been closed as it was unsafe to continue with burials under wet and slippery conditions.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi said rebuilding material for Cape Town's flood victims in informal settlement areas would be delivered on Sunday so that repair work in their homes can begin.
"We have been able to relocate families into a building that as government we have leased for 30 days, while we are finding a solution in terms of the informal solution because they have submerged - whether the rain will come down and we move them back or we have to find an alternative land where we can relocate them."