168k homes impacted by Cape Town flooding in the last month, says Hill-Lewis

CAPE TOWN - Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says 168,000 homes have been impacted by flooding in the last month following recent inclement weather in Cape Town.

With more heavy rain on the way this weekend, Hill-Lewis said the series of storms has made it difficult for the city to hand out flood kits to those affected.

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Hill-Lewis said the city has, so far, delivered about 16,000 kits to informal settlements, and a further 600 provided by the Department of Human Settlements.

"We still have some people living in bed and breakfasts, we have some people still staying in community halls, we have some people staying in a school, but all of that is still not enough for those numbers who have been affected."

The mayor also mentioned Dunoon, where people have built illegal dwellings on top of the city's water pipelines.

"It's a really complex and multi-faceted problem. Part of the solution is infrastructure. Part of the solution is being tougher about protecting our infrastructure to make sure that we go through the steps necessary to remove people who are occupying our stormwater infrastructure."

Hill-Lewis also urged opposition councillors not to encourage people to occupy land illegally in the metropole.