Western Cape Braces For Second Cold Front As Rest Of South Africa Experience Relief

While most South Africa experiences relief from an intense cold front, the Western Cape remains at risk as it braces for another cold front.

South African Weather Service (SAWS) on Wednesday warned that "the Western Cape will experience another cold front while other parts of the country will get a break from the intense weather of recent days. Strong winds inland are still expected," SA News reported.

The Northern Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape and Western Cape have been having wet, cold and windy weather with light snow. The recent series of cold fronts hitting the country caused extensive and disruptive snowfall in the southern and western mountainous areas.

These weather patterns also brought damaging winds across the country. In the Western Cape, severe disruptions and damage occurred including shelters in informal settlements being lost, trees falling, power outages and roads closing due to snow or flooding.

The weather service raised the weather warning for the Western Cape from level 6 to 8. Reports indicate that the severe weather in the Western Cape affected 7,000 structures in informal settlements across Cape Town, with flooding impacting 70 neighborhoods.

Rivers like the Liesbeek, Lotus and Eerste in Cape Town have overflowed their banks.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said, "We're still expecting a lot of strong wind and rain this week. Please stay safe. City teams are addressing each localized flooding situation."

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) reported that five schools couldn't reopen on Tuesday when public schools started their third term nationwide. This was due to wet and cold weather conditions.

According to the WCED, these schools were closed due to either flooding, blocked access routes or damage to school buildings. Furthermore, 82 schools reported damages. Most cases were minor, but 31 cases were considered more serious.

The provincial department said these reports "include schools where roof sheeting was blown off," adding that the repair work has already begun. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde thanked the province's disaster management teams and stakeholders for working tirelessly.

"Your steadfast dedication to serving the residents of this province is deeply appreciated," Winde said.