Heavy rainfall causes flooding in parts of Cape Town, snow spotted on mountain peaks

Heavy downpours trigger flooding and structural damage in Nyanga and Brown’s Farm as disaster teams deploy assessments Disaster Risk Management teams have been deployed to assess damage in parts of Cape Town following persistent heavy rainfall that has led to flooding and structural impacts in vulnerable communities. Snow has also been reported in the mountainous regions. According to Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Sonica Lategan, officials are currently on the ground in Mkhonto Square Informal Settlement in Nyanga and Brown’s Farm, where reports indicate that structures have been affected.

“Disaster Risk Management officials will be conducting assessments in the Mkhonto Square Informal Settlement in Nyanga, as well as Brown’s Farm,” said Lategan. She added that the full extent of the damage is still being determined as teams continue their inspections. “Our Disaster Operations Centre received reports that structures in these areas have been affected by the heavy downpours, although the extent can only be confirmed once assessments are completed,” she said.

The city has also reported widespread localised flooding across parts of the metropole, with several incidents routed to the Transport Management Centre for urgent attention by Roads and Stormwater teams. “Several roads in Parkwood have been affected,” Lategan confirmed, as authorities worked to respond to disruptions caused by rising water levels and poor drainage conditions. Weather conditions are expected to persist into the early hours of the following morning, raising concerns that impacts could worsen before conditions improve.

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“The weather conditions are set to persist into the early hours of tomorrow morning – the DOC will collate reports and information as received, and dispatching the relevant services,” she said. “The snow has arrived. It is cold and stormy. Snow only right at the peaks, nothing low down,” the reserve said, adding that hiking trails would remain closed while the severe weather conditions persist.

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